Archived Volcano News - John Seach
January 2004

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News reports posted in Eastern Australian Time (UT + 10 hr)
Reports written by John Seach

Egon Volcano (Indonesia)
8.67 S, 122.45 E, summit elevation 1703 m, stratovolcano
Saturday 31st January, 2004
One person has been reported killed from smoke and ash inhalation from the eruption of Egon volcano. Thick clouds of smoke and a great discharge of hot ash, large chunks of sulfur and volcanic rocks were seen nearby. The eruption caused panic among residents nearby, and they fled the mountain villages of Hale, Hebing, Lere, Natakoli, Pedat, Bau Krengat and Kelawair. Eyewitnesses said the lower part of the crater was seen bursting and that was believed to be the main outlet for the hot lava that spewed from the volcano. The local government has deployed vehicles and volunteers to evacuate residents. Several public buildings and schools in Maumere town were being prepared to accommodate the refugees. Egon is one of 15 volcanoes in the many islands of East Nusa Tenggara that are categorized as either active or with the possibility of eruptions. 
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Egon Volcano (Indonesia)
8.67 S, 122.45 E, summit elevation 1703 m, stratovolcano
Friday 30th January, 2004
Egon volcano began erupting on Thursday 29th January when it began ejecting lava and ash into the sky. Residents reported hearing “thunder like” sounds from the volcano’s crater before it belched thick smoke containing sulphur. A total 6,416 residents living in four villages in the danger zone have been evacuated to Maumere district town, about 35 kilometres away.  A team of volcanology experts from the province are closely monitoring Egon’s activity to determine whether it is due for a major eruption. Egon volcano is located on the island of Flores and last erupted in April 1925.
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Karymsky Volcano (Russia)
54.05 N, 159.43 E, summit elevation 1486 m, stratovolcano
Saturday 24th January 2004
Intermittent eruptive activity continues at Karymsky Volcano. Explosions may occur without warning. Ash emissions reach an elevation of 5,500 m above sea level. Some ashfall is possible a few tens of km around the volcano.  Seismic activity was above background levels during the past week, with the number of local shallow events 200-300 per day.
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Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Wednesday 21st January 2004
Lava continues to erupt from the base of Pu'u 'O'o cone on the east rift zone at Kilauea Volcano on 20th January. Lava is ponding at the base of the cone, and new cracks have appeared on the south flank.
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Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Tuesday 20th January 2004
Numerous fractures have appeared on the south flank of Pu`u `O`o on January 19th. The longest fracture is 75m long, and a lava flow 1.8km long has extended towards the south east.
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Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Friday 16th January 2004
On the morning of 16th January, the east pond vent in the main crater (Pu'u 'O'o),  has been rapidly filling with lava and is close to overfilling. Over the past few weeks seven vents have erupted lava at Kilauea volcano. Pu'u 'O'o cone is located on the eastern rift zone in a remote area. It is six months since lava last enterted the sea. The main lava tube system has started to collapse causing lava to erupt higher up the volcano. During the past six months, the largest eruption of lava has occurred between 1 and 4 km (0.5-2.5 miles) from Pu'u 'O'o.
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Sangay Volcano (Ecuador)
2.03 S, 78.34 W, summit elevation 5188 m, stratovolcano
Thursday 15th January 2004
Sangay volcano erupted on 14th January at 1000 hr UT. The plume extended 75 nautical miles east of the volcano. Maximum height of ash was 19,000 ft as reported by a pilot. A hotspot and ash plume was visible on GOES 12 Satellite images.
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Aso Volcano (Japan)
32.88 N, 131.10 E, summit elevation 1592 m, caldera
Wednesday 14th January 2004
Mt Aso Volcano erupted today, spewing a column of ash and smoke into the air and prompting officials to close off the area around its crater. The eruption sent pale ash and white smoke about 800 metres above the crater. Today's eruption was significantly stronger than Aso's recent rumblings, causing officials to block off a 100-metre perimeter around the crater's rim. The activity was not considered serious enough for an evacuation order to be issued. Mount Aso is one of Japan's most famous peaks and is visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually.
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Bezymianny Volcano (Russia)
55.97 N, 160.58 E, summit elevation 2882 m, stratovolcano
Wednesday 14th January 2004
Eruption of Bezymianny Volcano began at 22:53 UT on 13th January. An ash plume rose up to 6-8 km above sea level at 23:00 UT and extended NE. A large pyroclastic flow probably formed at the east-southeast volcano's flank. At 02:21 UT on 14th January, the plume extended ~ 190 km east-northeast.
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Karymsky Volcano (Russia)
54.05 N, 159.43 E, summit elevation 1486 m, stratovolcano
Sunday 11th January 2004
Karymsky Volcano in Kamchatka has discharged ash to the height of 7,000 metres above sea level during an eruption on 10th January. A flight crew saw the eruption which sent ash 25km northwest of the volcano. Volcanologists also report thermal anomalies indicating higher activity of Karymsky. The volcano has became more active since December 2001, and high seismic activity is recorded constantly. Specialists say the volcano is not dangerous now for residential areas in the region. The nearest city is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located 100 kilometres from Karymsky. 
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Piton de la Fournaise Volcano (Reunion)
21.22 S, 55.71 E, summit elevation 2631 m, shield volcano
Saturday 10th January 2004
Piton de la Fournaise volcano erupted on Friday 9th. Seismic activity had been building for a few days before the erruption. Access to the summit region has been banned since the eruption started.
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Loyalty Islands Earthquakes (Magnitude 7.1)
Sunday 4th January 2004
A series of large and major earthquakes continue to hit the Loyalty Island region of New Caledonia. Since Friday December 26th 2003, there have been 17 earthquakes over magnitude 5, with two of them over magnitude 7. A small tsunami was recorded in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
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Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Friday 2nd January 2004
A year after a tsunami was caused by the detachment of lava material along the Sciara del fuoco, Stromboli volcano has intensified its activity, launching scoriae and lapilli. Technicians and volcano experts, who are constantly monitoring Stromboli, have said that the situation is not alarming.
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Indonesia Earthquake (Magnitude 6.1)
Friday 2nd January 2004
A large earthquake hit Bali and Lombok on Friday 2nd January. The undersea earthquake struck before dawn in the Lombok Strait, about 18 miles off the east coast of Bali, killing one person, injuring 9, and damaging hundreds of buildings.
Volcanoes of Indonesia...

Dukono Volcano (Indonesia)
1.70 N, 127.87 E, summit elevation 1185 m, Complex Volcano
Thursday 1st January 2004
Dukono volcano is in continuous low level eruption. Dukono is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with regular eruptions since 1933.
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Karymsky Volcano (Russia)
54.05 N, 159.43 E, summit elevation 1486 m, stratovolcano
Thursday 1st January 2004
Eruption of Karymsky volcano on 1st January at 0200 hr (UT). No ash visible on satellite images.
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Tungurahua Volcano (Ecuador)
1.467 S, 78.442 W, summit elevation 5023 m, stratovolcano
Thursday 1st January 2004
Continuous ash and gas emissions at Tungurahua Volcano were reported at 0615 hr (UT) on 1st January.
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