Sarychev Peak Volcano, June 12, 2009
Eruption on Russian Kuril Island Interrupts Air Traffic
Jun 16, 2009
Sarychev Peak is located on Matua Island and is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain in Russia. This island is called Matsuwa Island by the Japanese.
The Kuril Islands span a distance of 740 miles from the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia to northern Hokkaido in Japan. They are a chain of volcanic islands, of which over 30 volcanoes have erupted in recent times.
Eruptions of Sarychev Peak have been recorded as far back as the mid-1700s. The last known eruption was 1976 but the last large eruption was in 1946 when lava flows spewed over the peak and reached the sea.
Eruption of Sarychev Peak Volcano
On June 12, 2009, Sarychev began to send ash plumes in two directions. In a report from the Earth Observatory at NASA, “According to a bulletin from the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency, the ash spread roughly 105 kilometers (65 miles) toward the west-northwest, and another 250 kilometers (155 miles) toward the east-southeast.”
Why the Sarychev Peak Volcano is Interrupting Air Travel
The Alaska Volcano Observatory mentions that one of the world’s most heavily traveled air corridors is located a few hundred miles from the Kuril Islands. With hundreds of flights crossing the North Pacific daily, the ash cloud is high enough to pose a safety threat to an air travel. A volcanic ash cloud contains glass shards, tiny rock particles and acid droplets.
If an airplane flies through an ash cloud, the following events can happen:
- Ash particles are ingested into the engine and can lead to loss of power or complete engine failure.
- The particles can cause abrasion on the windshield, thus hindering the view from the cockpit.
- Essential external sensors on the aircraft can get clogged.
- The air ventilation within the aircraft can get contaminated.
- Within the ash cloud, there is electrostatic activity and this can interfere with radio communication.
Monitoring of Activity at the Sarychev Peak Volcano
Up to date information is provided by SVERT, which is a project within the Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Island, Russia. The sources of information are MODIS satellite imagery, ground-based observatories set up on neighboring islands.
The following is the latest report from SVERT as at June 16, 2009, 12:49am local time:
“According to MODIS data, a continuous ash emission was producing a plume that extended 360 km to the northwest with cloud tops as high as 32,000 feet according to Tokyo VAAC. Higher ash clouds from earlier explosive events, Tokyo VAAC estimated heights of 45,000 feet, were drifting toward the east.”
Flights over the North Pacific will continue to be rerouted or cancelled until the ash cloud subsides or the winds change direction to make a clearer flight path.
Related Articles on Volcanoes:
Eruption of Mount Redoubt Alaska 2009
Kilauea, The World’s Most Active Volcano
Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
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