The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) has reported a considerable upsurge in seismic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula, with over 18 500 earthquakes recorded since the swarm began on October 25, just north of Grindavík.
On November 1, 2023, military personnel located on Iwoto Island witnessed the birth of a new island following intense volcanic activity. The eruption, which occurred 1 km (0.62 miles) off the island’s southern coast, was preceded by frequent volcanic tremors since October 21.
New activity/unrest was reported for 8 volcanoes from October 25 to 31, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 20 volcanoes.
Significant activity was reported at Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, on October 31, 2023. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 02:34 UTC, and satellite data indicated an ash column reaching up to 14 km (46 000 feet) above sea level at 23:10 UTC.
An exceptionally intense earthquake swarm lasting nearly two hours started at Þorbjörn in Iceland at 08:40 on October 31, 2023. The largest event registered an M3.7, and the activity signaled potential magma movement at depths between 1.5 km and 5 km (0.93 – 3.1 miles).
Elevated seismic activity has been observed at Mount St. Helens in the United States since 2008 when the last eruption ended. No significant changes have been observed in other monitoring parameters and there are no signs of an imminent eruption.
Activity at Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka, Russia increased significantly on October 31, 2023, prompting KVERT to raise the Aviation Color Code from Orange to Red. The ash column reached up to 9.8 km (32 152 feet) above sea level and extended for 365 km (226 miles) to the SSE of the volcano.
Seismic activity at Mount Anak Krakatau intensified on October 28, 2023, prompting Indonesian authorities to issue a 5 km (3.1 miles) exclusion zone around the main crater. The heightened activity included a range of earthquakes and internal vibrations indicative of potential eruptions.
An episode of complex volcano-tectonic unrest is currently affecting the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said on October 29, 2023. It is interpreted to result from multiple deformation sources at depth, which are interacting and affecting a wide area across the peninsula.
An explosive-effusive eruption continues at the Klyuchevskoi volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, on October 29, 2023, with ash clouds reaching a height of 10 km (33 000 feet) above sea level. The Aviation Color Code remains at Orange.
