Monday Musings: KVERT in trouble again, the volcano takes on a general (and Top Gear) ... and more!

News!

nThe summit crater lake at Gorely in Russia, taken on June 21, 2010. Image courtesy of KVERT.

Eruptions readers have been abuzz about how KVERT will be closing shop (yet again) at the end of June. This would, of course, leave no local monitoring and expertise in the very active Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands in Russia. Right now Shiveluch and Gorely are both showing signs of increased eruption (along with other volcanoes in the arc). In fact, Gorely, which hasn’t erupted since 1986, looks primed to have an eruption, with increased tremors, steam-and-gas emissions and a new summit vent (discovered on June 17). That being said, we can hope that someone/country smartens up again and helps fund the vital activities of KVERT.

I brought this up subtly last week, but there has been a lot of print (pixels?) used on the idea that General Stanley McChrystal – who recently lost his position as the head of the Central Command in charge of Afghanistan – can blame it on the Eyjafjallajökull eruption and the ensuing air travel disruptions. Sure, it is no “Iceland turning Christian“, but it is always interesting to see the unpredictable results of a volcanic eruption.

Speaking of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruptions reader Chris brought us a link to the segment from the BBC’s hit show Top Gear (video) shot on the erupting Icelandic volcano (during the fissure vent stage). Amusing stuff, mostly for the audacity of it all.n
I found this short piece of volcano tourism at Miyakejima in Japan. Much like Sakurajima, this volcano is relatively active, with small eruptions every year since a VEI 3 eruption (and caldera collapse) in 2000.

Photovolcanica has posted a couple new collections of recent eruptive activity – a set from Yasur in Vanuatu, showing the impressive strombolian activity this spring and (of course) more from Eyjafjallajökull.