USGS Volcano Notice for Aviation - DOI-USGS-AVO-2023-07-18T08:22:54-08:00

(1) VOLCANO OBSERVATORY NOTICE FOR AVIATION (VONA)
(2) Issued:	(20230718/1637Z)
(3) Volcano:	Shishaldin (VNUM #311360)
(4) Current Color Code:	RED
(5) Previous Color Code:	RED
(6) Source:	Alaska Volcano Observatory
(7) Notice Number:	2023/A1083
(8) Volcano Location:	N 54 deg 45 min W 163 deg 58 min
(9) Area:	Aleutians
(10) Summit Elevation:	9373 ft (2857 m)
(11) Volcanic Activity Summary:	An ash cloud with an initial height of around 30,000 ft. (7 km) above sea level from Shishaldin volcano began at 7:00 am AKDT (15:00 UTC) and is drifting SSE. The eruption is continuing and recent pilot observations estimated a 24,000 ft. (6 km) above sea level height. The aviation Color Code remains at RED and the Volcano Alert Level at WARNING. The National Weather Service has issued a SIGMET for this activity. Eruptive activity began increasing overnight starting around 1 am AKDT (09:00 UTC) with increased lava eruption from or within the summit crater but no significant ash emissions. Activity was detected on regional infrasound arrays, increasing seismic tremor, and elevated surface temperatures in satellite data. Overnight webcam images confirmed glowing from the summit with only minor ash emission. Eruptions from Shishaldin have produced minor and on occasion significant ash clouds in the past. These can occur with little warning. Shishaldin is monitored by local seismic and infrasound sensors, web cameras, and a telemetered geodetic network. The local monitoring network is partially impaired, therefore AVO is also using nearby geophysical networks, satellite data and regional infrasound and lighting data to detect activity. AVO will continue to closely monitor unrest at Shishaldin Volcano.
(12) Volcanic cloud height:	30,000 ft. above sea level
(13) Other volcanic cloud information:	SSE Drifting ash cloud seen in satellite imagery, see current NWS SIGMET
(14) Remarks:	Shishaldin Volcano, located near the center of Unimak Island in the eastern Aleutian Islands, is a spectacular symmetric cone with a base diameter of approximately 16 km (10 mi). A 200-m-wide (660 ft) funnel-shaped summit crater typically emits a steam plume and occasional small amounts of ash. Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc, with at least 54 episodes of unrest including over 26 confirmed eruptions since 1824. Most eruptions are relatively small, although the April-May 1999 event generated an ash column that reached 45,000 ft above sea level.
(15) Contacts:	Kristi Wallace, Acting Scientist-in-Charge, USGS kwallace@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497 Pavel Izbekov, Acting Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI peizbekov@alaska.edu (907) 378-5460
(16) Next Notice: