Shiveluch

Shiveluch (Russian: Шивелуч), also called Sheveluch, which originates from the name "suelich" which means "smoking mountain" in Itelmen[5] is the northernmost active volcano in Kamchatka Krai, Russia. It and Karymsky are Kamchatka's largest, most active and most continuously erupting volcanoes, as well as one of the most active on the planet. Shiveluch erupts around 0.015 km³ of magma per year, which causes frequent and large hot avalanches and lava dome formations at the summit.[6] Ash emissions from this volcano often disrupt air traffic connecting the Asian and North American continents.

Shiveluch
Shiveluch from space, July 2007.
Highest point
Elevation3,283 m (10,771 ft)[1]
Prominence3,168 m (10,394 ft)[2]
Ranked 73rd
Isolation80 km (50 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
ListingUltra
Coordinates56°39′12″N 161°21′42″E[2]
Geography
Shiveluch is located in Far Eastern Federal District
Shiveluch
Shiveluch
Location in Russian Far East
LocationKamchatka, Russia
Parent rangeEastern Range
Geology
Age of rocklate Pleistocene[3]
Mountain typeStratovolcano (active)
Last eruption1999 to 2022 (ongoing, non-stop)[4]
Climbing
Easiest routebasic rock/snow climb

Geography

Shiveluch belongs to the Kliuchevskaya volcano group, located in central Kamchatka 84 kilometers (52 mi) northwest of Ust-Kamchatsk.[7] The nearest settlement from the volcano is Klyuchi, situated 50 km from the mountain.[8] The settlement is small enough to evacuate rapidly in case of a major eruption.[7]

Geologic setting

Shiveluch is a volcano within the Kuril-Kamchatka volcanic arc which hosts tens of other volcanoes. As the Pacific Plate crust subducts deeper under the Okhotsk Plate, the boiling points of minerals underground are reduced by other materials including water which results in the materials melting and forming into magma which rises onto the surface and forms the volcanoes.

Structure

There are three elements of the volcano: the stratovolcano Old Shiveluch (Старый Шивелуч); an ancient caldera; and the active Young Shiveluch (Молодой Шивелуч), with an elevation of about 2,800 metres (9,186 ft).[9] Shiveluch is one of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanic structures.[1] It is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava and volcanic rocks.[10]

Geologic history

Shiveluch began forming about 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, and it has had at least 60 large eruptions during the Holocene.[1] During this era, the most intense period of volcanism — including frequent large and moderate eruptions — occurred around 6500–6400 BC, 2250–2000 BC, and AD 50–650. This coincides with the peak of activity in other Kamchatka volcanoes. The current active period started around 900 BC. Since then, the large and moderate eruptions have been following each other at 50 to 400 year-long intervals.[11] Catastrophic eruptions took place in 1854 and 1957, when a large part of the lava dome collapsed and created a devastating debris avalanche.[7]

The most recent eruption of Young Shiveluch started on August 15, 1999, and continues as of 2021.[1] On February 27, 2015 Shiveluch erupted shooting ash into the atmosphere about 30,000 feet crossing the Bering Sea and into Alaska.[12]

  • Activity on 6 November 2012
    Activity on 6 November 2012
  • The heat signature of a pyroclastic flow on Shiveluch in January 2011
    The heat signature of a pyroclastic flow on Shiveluch in January 2011
  • This false-colour satellite image shows the remnants of a large pyroclastic flow on the slopes of Shiveluch.
    This false-colour satellite image shows the remnants of a large pyroclastic flow on the slopes of Shiveluch.
  • Activity on 7 September 2010
    Activity on 7 September 2010
  • Activity on 13 February 2010
    Activity on 13 February 2010
  • Activity on 3 October 2009
    Activity on 3 October 2009
  • Activity on 9 May 2004
    Activity on 9 May 2004
  • Activity (red dot) on 17 September 2002
    Activity (red dot) on 17 September 2002
  • Shiveluch releases a small plume of vapour
    Shiveluch releases a small plume of vapour

References
  1. "Sheveluch". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. "Russia: Kamchatka and the Russian Pacific Islands". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  3. "Shiveluch".
  4. "Shiveluch volcano". 19 Feb 2018.
  5. "Volcano Sheveluch". Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  6. Ponomareva V.; Kyle P.; Pevzner M.; Sulerzhitsky L.; Hartman M. (2007). "Holocene Eruptive History of Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". Geophysical Monograph Series. 172: 263–282. doi:10.1029/172GM19.
  7. "Kamchatka volcano Shiveluch emitted a 7-km column of ash". Vesti.ru. 2009-04-27. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  8. "Klyuchi: Russia". Geographic.org. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  9. Holocene Volcanoes in Kamchatka / Shiveluch
  10. "Shiveluch Volcano". NASA. 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  11. "Holocene Eruptive History of Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". Geophysical monograph. 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  12. "Alaska flights canceled over ash from Russian volcano". Retrieved 1 March 2015.
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