The active lava dome continues to grow slowly and produce incandescent rockfalls through the gap in the southwestern crater wall. Small avalanches from these events continue to travel down the upper Krasak drainage channel.
According to the volcano observatory, the new lava dome was first visible emerging behind the crater breach on 4 January. During 4-7 January, 19 incandescent avalanches were observed; they traveled as far as 800 m downhill, but the risk of larger avalanches increases as the dome grows.
Deformation of the volcanic edifice continued as well: distance shortening was measured between separate points in the northwestern part of the volcano, reaching rates of 15 cm per day. The reason for this contraction could be the removal of magma from internal conduits into the dome. More than 1,300 residents have been temporarily relocated from their homes in threatened areas to evacuation centers.
The volcano’s official alert level remains at 3 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public is being warned to stay at least 5 km away from the summit.
Source: Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 6-12 January 2021
