Ichinsky is the highest peak in Kamchatka's Sredinny Range, which extends along the western side of the peninsula. The 3621-m-high summit cone of the massive stratovolcano, seen here from the south, was constructed within a 3 x 5 km-wide glacier-covered caldera. A dozen late-Pleistocene to Holocene dacitic and rhyodacitic lava domes circle the peak below the caldera rim, at elevations of 1800-3000 m. Fumarolic activity occurs within the caldera and on the lower northern flank. Photo by Oleg Volynets, 1977 (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk).
During 27 January-2 February, the MODIS sensor continued to frequently detect thermal anomalies from Nyiragongo, likely from lava lake activity. The Toulouse VAAC reported that during 30-31 January a diffuse plume drifted 240 km W.
On 29 January, the Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory reported significant changes in Gaua's activity over the previous two weeks. They noted that since 16 January more gas was emitted and multiple explosions produced denser and darker ash plumes. On 24 January nearby villagers reported seeing ejected material from Strombolian activity.
The Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program seeks better understanding of all volcanoes through documenting their eruptions — small as well as large — during the past 10,000 years.
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