Earth Watch Report - Volcanic Events
Chirpoi volcano (Kurile Islands, Russia) activity update: steaming, hot spot detected on satellite images
Volcano Discovery
A hot spot is visible on recent MODIS satellite images at the volcano and a dense steam plume drifting SE can be seen on a Aqua satellite image from 16 Nov 2012. Although KVERT lists the volcano as green, it is likely that some activity is occurring at the volcano.
The Kuril Islands form part of the ring of tectonic instability encircling the Pacific ocean referred to as the Ring of Fire. The islands themselves are summits of strato-volcanoes that are a direct result of the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate, which forms the Kuril Trench some 200 kilometers (120 mi) east of the islands. The chain has around 100 volcanoes, some 40 of which are active, and many hot springs and fumaroles. There is frequent seismic activity, including a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in 1963 and one of magnitude 8.3 recorded on November 15, 2006, which resulted in tsunami waves up to 5 feet (1.5 m) reaching the California coast.
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