Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Opala.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Opala.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Opala.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Ustup

Cone

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Barany Amphitheater
Baranii Amphitheater

Crater

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Skalistaya

Dome

Stolovaya

Dome

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

300080

1776 CE

2,439 m / 8,002 ft

52.543°N
157.339°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Caldera
Stratovolcano
Lava dome(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Minor
Dacite
Rhyolite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

22
22
50
58,949

Geological Summary

The steep-sided conical Opala stratovolcano was constructed during the late-Pleistocene to Holocene at the northern end of the 12 x 14 km, 40,000-year-old Opala caldera. The volcano has produced andesitic-dacitic lavas and tephras through most of the Holocene. The latest major explosive eruption formed the prominent Barany Amphitheater on the SE flank about 1,500 years ago, producing a voluminous 9-10 km³ regional rhyolitic tephra layer. The 2 x 2.5 km crater is filled by a lava dome 1 km wide. Mild explosive eruptions have been reported from summit and flank vents, although no associated tephra deposits have been found. Tephrochronology work has revealed evidence for a large explosive eruption from the summit crater about 300 years ago.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Braitseva O, Ponomareva V, Melekestsev I, Sulerzhitsky L, Pevzner M, 2002-. Holocene Kamchatka volcanoes. http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/volcanoes/holocene/main/main.htm.

Erlich E N, 1986. Geology of the calderas of Kamchatka and Kurile Islands with comparison to calderas of Japan and the Aleutians, Alaska. U S Geological Survey Open-File Report, 86-291: 1-300. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr86291

Erlich E N, Gorshkov G S (eds), 1979. Quaternary volcanism and tectonics in Kamchatka. Bull Volcanol, 42: 1-4.

Fedotov S A, Masurenkov Y P (eds), 1991. Active Volcanoes of Kamchatka. Moscow: Nauka Pub, 2 volumes.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Kozhemyaka N N, 1996. Long-lived volcanic centers of Kamchatka: types of cones, growth time spans, volumes of erupted material, productivities, rock proportions, and tectonic settings. Volc Seism, 17: 621-636 (English translation).

Melekestsev I V, Braitseva O A, Bazanova L I, Ponomareva V V, Sulerzhitskiy L D, 1996. A particular type of catastrophic explosive eruptions with reference to the Holocene subcaldera eruptions at Khangar, Khodutka Maar, and Baraniy Amfiteatr volcanoes in Kamchatka. Volc Seism, 18: 135-160 (English translation).

Melekestsev I V, Felitsyn S B, Kiryanov V Y, 1991. The eruption of Opala in A.D. 500 -- the largest explosive eruption in Kamchatka in the Christian era. Volc Seism, 1991(1): 21-34 (English translation 1992, 13: 21-36).

Ponomareva V V, Melekestsev I V, Dirksen O V, 2006. Sector collapses and large landslides on late Pleistocene-Holocene volcanoes in Kamchatka, Russia. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 158: 117-138.

Popruzhenko S V, 1984. On the formation of the Opala caldera. Volc Seism, 1984(6): 111-113 (English translation 1988, 6: 953-958).

Vlodavetz V I, Piip B I, 1959. Kamchatka and Continental Areas of Asia. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 8: 1-110.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 4 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

[ 1894 ] Discredited Eruption

[ 1854 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1854 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
	- - - -	- - - -	Fumarolic or Solfataric

[ 1827 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1827 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion	Uncertain
	- - - -	- - - -	Fumarolic or Solfataric	Uncertain

1776 Oct 23 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption

1776 Oct 23 - Unknown

Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	1776 Oct 23	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

0610 ± 50 years Confirmed Eruption VEI: 5

Episode 1 | Eruption

SE flank (Barany Amphitheater)

0610 ± 50 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 7 Events for Episode 1 at SE flank (Barany Amphitheater)

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava dome
- - - -	- - - -	Ash
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
- - - -	- - - -	Crater	Parasitic.
0610 ± 50 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

1550 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

1550 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Avalanche
- - - -	- - - -	Lahar or Mudflow

3500 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

3500 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Ash

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Opala.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Opala.

Photo Gallery

Opala volcano, seen here from the E, lies about 50 km W of the main volcanic arc in southern Kamchatka. The edifice was constructed at the N end of the 10 x 12 km, 40,000-year-old Opala caldera. Post-caldera Holocene volcanism included the extrusion of lava domes and flows. The latest major explosion formed the Barany amphitheater on the SE flank about 1,500 years ago.

Photo by Andrei Tsvetkov.

Late Pleistocene-Holocene scoria cones in the foreground are located on the southern part of Tolmachev Dol (Tolmachev Plateau) with Opala volcano in the background. Tolmachev Dol is a large volcanic highland NE of Opala that contains numerous postglacial scoria cones. The cones and associated lava fields cover a broad area around Lake Tolmachev halfway between Opala and Gorely.

Copyrighted photo by Leopold Sulerzhitsky (Holocene Kamchataka volcanoes; http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/volcanoes/holocene/main/main.htm).

The early Pleistocene Bolshaya Ipelka volcano has been extensively eroded by glaciers and has a single unnamed Holocene scoria cone on the southern flank. The conical stratovolcano to the E (right) is Opala, which was constructed along the northern rim of a large 12 x 14 km wide caldera.

NASA International Space Station image ISS004-E-11691, 2002 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

The current Opala cone formed along the northern rim of the 13 x 19 km Pleistocene caldera that formed during the largest eruption in Kamchatka in 50,000 years, shown in this September 2018 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 15 km across). The circular feature on the SE flank is the ~1.3 x 2 km Baranii Amphitheater crater, which produced a large eruption in 1400 cal BP and was then filled with an obsidian dome.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2018 (https://www.planet.com/).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 1 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number	Sample Description	Lava Source	Collection Date
NMNH 116556-63	Rhyolite	--	--

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Opala. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Opala. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Opala

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).