Subject: Veniaminof Volcano Activity Notice 20180904_1309
AVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice
Volcano: Veniaminof (VNUM #312070)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Previous Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Previous Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
Issued: Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 1:09 PM AKDT
Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory
Notice Number:
Location: N 56 deg 11 min W 159 deg 23 min
Elevation: 8225 ft (2507 m)
Area: Alaska Peninsula
Volcanic Activity Summary: Seismic activity remains elevated at Veniaminof. Low-level ash emissions have been observed in web camera images and have been confirmed by observers in Perryville. Thus, AVO is raising the Aviation Color Code to Orange and the Volcano Alert Level to Watch.
Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] 8000-10,000ft
[Other volcanic cloud information] Low-level ash emissions.
Remarks: Mount Veniaminof volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano with an ice-filled 10-km diameter summit caldera located on the Alaska Peninsula, 775 km (480 mi) southwest of Anchorage and 35 km (22 mi) north of Perryville. Veniaminof is one of the largest (~300 cubic km; 77 cubic mi) and most active volcanic centers in the Aleutian Arc and has erupted at least 13 times in the past 200 years. Recent significant eruptions of the volcano occurred in 1993-95, 2005, and 2013. These were Strombolian eruptions that produced lava fountains and minor emissions of ash and gas from the main intracaldera cone. During the 1993-95 activity, a small lava flow was extruded, and in 2013, five small lava flows effused from the intracaldera cone over about five months. Minor ash-producing explosions occurred nearly annually between 2002 and 2010. Previous historical eruptions have produced ash plumes that reached 20,000 ft above sea level (1939 and 1956) and ash fallout that blanketed areas within about 40 km (25 mi) of the volcano (1939).
Contacts: Michelle Coombs, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
mcoombs@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
David Fee, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
dfee1@alaska.edu (907) 322-4085
Next Notice: A new VAN will be issued if conditions change significantly or alert levels are modified. While a VAN is in effect, regularly scheduled updates are posted at
http://www.avo.alaska.edu
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
