Volcanic activity worldwide 6 Sep 2013: Ubinas, Sakurajima, Rabaul (Tavurvur), Pacaya, Fuego, Karyms...

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Since a few days ago, the New SE crater has been producing weak ash emissions occasionally. Whether this is the precursor to more vigorous activity and when this will occur, is difficult to say at the moment, but it is a sign that the volcano is waking up from the slumber it has been in during the past 4 months.

Gorely (Southern Kamchatka): No significant changes have occurred over the past weeks. KEVRT continues to record moderate seismic activity caused by degassing and internal fluid movements.

Kliuchevskoi (Kamchatka): The lava flow on the WSW upper flank continues to be active and can be seen on webcam images. Strong seismic activity reported by KVERT.

Kizimen (Kamchatka): The volcano continues to extrude a viscous lava flow from the summit vent, producing hot avalanches on the western and eastern flanks and strong degassing. KVERT reports moderate seismic activity.

Karymsky (Kamchatka): According to KVERT, weak ash explosions probably continue to occur from time to time. Seismic activity is moderate.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): KVERT reports no changes in activity, which is currently relatively low. Accompanied by moderate seismic activity, a viscous lava dome continues to grow and produces small incandescent rockfalls and occasional ash emissions such as on the attached webcam picture this morning. Glow can be seen at night.


Tolbachik (Kamchatka): The eruption is probably ending. KVERT reported only weak seismicity and incandescence, accompanied by moderate steaming/degassing, and a small remaining thermal anomaly on satellite data.

Bezymianny (Central Kamchatka Depression): Weak effusive activity continues, evidenced by steaming/degassing and a thermal anomaly at the lava dome visible on satellite data. KVERT has no seismic data, because the ongoing eruption at nearby Klyuchevskoy obscures the seismic activity from Bezymianny.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Elevated activity continues at the volcano which produces frequent and relatively strong vulcanian explosions and ash emissions. This morning, an explosion produced an ash plume rising to 15,000 ft (4.5 km) altitude, visible in the following video starting 07:18 UTC:


Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): Eruptions continue on the remote island. An explosion this morning produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude (VAAC Tokyo).

Rabaul (Tavurvur) (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): The activity at Tavurvur has increased since the second half of August, a recent report by ECHO (European Commission department of Humanitarian Aid) mentions.
Ash fall from Tavurvur forced the suspension of outpatient services at Nonga base hospital in Rabaul on 2 Sep. It is expected that more than 3,000 people are affected and in need of clean drinking water.

Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Explosions producing ash plumes large enough to show up on satellite data have become more frequent over the past week. An eruption yesterday produced a plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude, VAAC Darwin reported.

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): Activity has decreased compared to the strong episode between 30 August and 2 September. Continuous seismic tremor suggests that lava effusion, accompanied by minor ash emission, continues.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity continues at generally low levels. The rate of small emissions of steam and gas has risen to more than 5 per hour during yesterday, and a number of small volcanic-tectonic quakes and episodes of tremor were recorded.
At night, incandescence is visible at the volcano's summit, indicating that magma continues to arrive there.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Mild strombolian activity continues from the Mackenney crater. At night, incandescence can be seen.

Fuego (Guatemala): After the paroxysm on 2 Sep, the lava flow effusion has stopped and the volcano has returned to its typical activity with occasional explosions from the summit vent. INSIVUMEH reported 6 moderate explosions yesterday with ash plumes rising up to 800 m and drifting for 10-12 km before dispersing.a.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): The intense swarm of shallow earthquakes under the volcano's SE flank seems to have more or less ended. If it was caused by an intrusion of magma, it has (as in most cases) not lead to an eruption although a second swarm could restart at any time.
Unfortunately, INETER has not reported on this activity so far.

Ubinas (Peru): New eruptions occurred at the volcano. It seems more and more likely that the phreatic explosions are a result of new magma rising from depth, and the volcano could be heading towards more sustained and possibly larger magmatic activity in the near future.
An explosion yesterday at 16:22 (local time) produced an impressive ash plume of 3 km height, followed by a smaller one at 17:48 with an ash plume of 500 m height. These have so far been the largest in the current phase of activity.
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INGEMMET recommends preventive evacuation of the inhabitants of the village of Querapi, located just 4 km south of the summit and therefore particularly vulnerable to volcanic hazards, including ash fall and possible pyroclastic flows that are likely generated if the activity continues to increase.

Volcano Activity Summary for 6 Sep 2013: