(1) VOLCANO OBSERVATORY NOTICE FOR AVIATION (VONA) | |
(2) Issued: | (20210304/1804Z) |
(3) Volcano: | Veniaminof (VNUM #312070) |
(4) Current Color Code: | ORANGE |
(5) Previous Color Code: | UNASSIGNED |
(6) Source: | Alaska Volcano Observatory |
(7) Notice Number: | 2021/A39 |
(8) Volcano Location: | N 56 deg 11 min W 159 deg 23 min |
(9) Area: | Alaska Peninsula |
(10) Summit Elevation: | 8225 ft (2507 m) |
(11) Volcanic Activity Summary: | Regional infrasound sensors detected a small explosion from Veniaminof volcano this morning at 14:13 UTC (05:13 local time). Satellite and webcam views indicate low-elevation (< 10,000 ft asl) ash emissions heading in the SSE direction, and minor ash deposits are visible at the volcano. As a result, AVO is raising the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Volcano Alert Level to WATCH at Veniaminof volcano. The local seismic data remains offline due to an outage of a satellite link at Port Heiden. However, the Alaska Volcano Observatory continues to monitor Veniaminof with satellite and webcam data and remote infrasound, seismic and lightning networks. Eruptive activity usually consists of minor ash emissions, lava fountaining and lava flows from the small cone in the summit caldera. Ash emissions are typically confined to the summit crater, but larger events can result in ash fall in nearby communities and drifting airborne ash. |
(12) Volcanic cloud height: | 10000 feet asl |
(13) Other volcanic cloud information: | SSE direction |
(14) 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 14 times in the past 200 years. Recent eruptions in 1993-95, 2005, 2013, and 2018 all occurred at the intracaldera cone and lasted for several months. These eruptions produced lava spattering and fountaining, minor emissions of ash and gas, and small lava flows into intracaldera icefield. Minor ash-producing explosions occurred nearly annually between 2002 and 2010. Previous historical eruptions have produced ash plumes that reached 15,000 to 20,000 ft above sea level (1939, 1956, and 2018) and ash fallout that blanketed areas within about 40 km (25 mi) of the volcano (1939, 2018). |
(15) Contacts: | Dave Schneider, Acting Scientist-in-Charge, USGS djschneider@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497 David Fee, Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI dfee1@alaska.edu (907) 322-4085 |
(16) 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 |
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