Volcano Watch: 3 February 2009

Volcanic Activity Report: 28 January-3 February 2009

From: SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

New Activity/Unrest:

• Asama, Honshu, Japan
• Redoubt, Southwestern Alaska

Volcano of the Week: Ubinas

Volcán Ubinas, seen here from the west, is Perú’s most active volcano. A small, 1.2-km-wide caldera that cuts the top of Ubinas gives it a truncated appearance. The upper slopes of the stratovolcano steepen to nearly 45 degrees. The steep-walled, 150-m-deep caldera contains an ash cone with a 500-m-wide funnel-shaped vent that is 200-m deep. Holocene lava flows are visible on the volcano’s flanks, but historical activity, documented since the 16th century, has consisted of intermittent minor explosive eruptions. Photo by Norm Banks, 1988 (U.S. Geological Survey). Caption: GVP

Volcano Name: Ubinas

Country: Perú
Volcano Type:  Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2008 (in or after)
Summit Elevation: 5672 m (18,609 feet)
Latitude: 16.355°S 16°21’18″S
Longitude: 70.903°W 70°54’11″W

Based on a SIGMET notice, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that on 31 January an ash plume from Ubinas rose to an altitude of 6.7 km (22,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW. Ash was not seen on satellite imagery.

Ongoing Activity:

• Barren Island, Andaman Is
• Chaitén, Southern Chile
• Fuego, Guatemala
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka
• Kilauea, Hawaii
• Kliuchevskoi, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Pacaya, Guatemala
• Rabaul, New Britain
• Sakura-jima, Kyushu
• Santa María, Guatemala
• Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Soufrière Hills, Montserrat
• Tungurahua, Ecuador
• Ubinas, Perú