Kliuchevskoi on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia had a busy weekend after its busy week -- and a lot of the action was caught on the webcams pointed at the volcano or by satellite. For much of Friday and into Saturday (October 18-19), the volcano continued to produce some vigorous lava fountains and lava flows, mixed in with Strombolian explosions that sent bombs down the slopes of the volcano. This activity was significant enough to cause some aviation alerts even over the western Aleutian Islands. Since then, the activity has subsided with seismicity dropping significantly on Sunday (October 20), with only a minor ash plume visible at Kliuchevskoi. During the height of the activity, the ash plume reached ~8 km (~26,000 feet) and stretched out over the Pacific Ocean, according to the most recent KVERT update. In the satellite imagery, you can really tell the difference between the plume when it is being dominated by ash versus steam, as the brown/tan ash is clearly visible in the October 18 Terra MODIS image, while the plume becomes almost white in the October 19 Aqua MODIS image. By October 21 (today), the plume is barely visible, but instead, a gorgeous lenticular cloud was seen both in the satellite image (casting a shadow to the northeast) and in the webcam shot of the volcano.

I've collected some great captures from KVERT webcams and NASA Terra and Aqua imagery, so check out this slideshow to see how the eruption developed over the weekend.

October 18, 2013

The vigorous ash plume from the intense Strombolian activity on October 18, 2013. Simon Carn posted an OMI image of the strong sulfur dioxide plume associated with this activity as well.

Image: KVERT webcam.