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Medvezhia Volcano Eruptions

somma volcano 1125 m / 3,691 ft
Kurile Islands, Russia, 45.39°N / 148.84°E
Eruption list: 1999, 1958, 1883, 1778

Eruptions of Medvezhia volcano

1999 eruption

A small phreatic eruption occurred at Kudriavy volcano on 7 October 1999. It created a new crater 35 m deep and 30–40 m wide and destroyed parts of the summit lava dome. The eruption consisted in several explosions at intervals of 1-2 minutes and produced periodic ash emissions reaching up to ca. 100 m height. Blocks of 20-30 cm diameter were ejected up to 30-40 m. The new crater with vertical walls exposed incandescent hot areas of the interior of the lava dome.
The eruption was preceded by an unusually long dry period during which a large part of the Hot Lake (a rain-water fed lake near the lava dome) had almost dried out. An increase of ground temperature and increased seismic activity caused by changes in the hydrothermal system preceded the eruption and had been monitored since September.
Source: GVP / Smithsonian monthly reports

1992 intense fumarolic activity

Intense fumarolic activity was detected during fieldwork in late 1992. The maximum temperature at fumaroles at the lava dome of Kudriavy volcano was 910°C and rocks at 20-30 cm depth glowed red.

1883 eruption

The last magmatic eruption of Kudriavy volcano was in 1883 and erupted basaltic andesite lava flows in the western crater. Even more than 116 years after the eruption, the temperatures of fumarolic gases exceeded 900 deg C.
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Source:
Korzhinsky et al (2002), "Decade-long study of degassing at Kudriavy volcano, Iturup, Kurile Islands (1990–1999): Gas temperature and composition variations, and occurrence of 1999 phreatic eruption", Earth Planets Space, 54, pp 337–347
Wed, 2 Aug 2017, 12:05

Kudryavy volcano (Kuriles): increase in steam emissions

The Institute of Volcanology and Geodynamics (Russian Academy of Natural Science) reported that during the morning of 31 July volcanologists working on Kudryavy, a stratovolcano of the Medvezhia volcanic complex, noted a sharp increase in the volume of vapor-and-gas emissions, with a plume rising more than 1 km. ... Read all
Wed, 26 Jul 2017, 06:00

Moyorodake [Medvezhia] volcano (Iturup, Etorofu) Island, Japan/Russia) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 26 July-1 August 2017 (New Activity / Unrest)

The Institute of Volcanology and Geodynamics (Russian Academy of Natural Science) reported that during the morning of 31 July volcanologists working on Kudryavy, a stratovolcano of the Medvezhia volcanic complex, noted a sharp increase in the volume of vapor-and-gas emissions, with a plume rising more than 1 km. The emissions rose from a new crater, Malysh, that was formed after the 1999 phreatic eruption. A significant increase in temperature (an average of 100 degrees Celsius) was measured at fumarolic sites, and new high-temperature areas were noted. ... Read all