Since its launch in December 1999, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument has been observing over 1300 of the world's volcanoes during the day and night and at different times of the year. At the onset of an eruption, the temporal frequency of these regularly scheduled observations can be increased to as little as 1–3 days at higher latitudes. However, even this repeat time is not sufficient for near real-time monitoring, which is on the order of minutes to hours using poorer spatial resolution (>1 km/pixel) instruments. The eruption of Bezymianny Volcano (Kamchatkan Peninsula, Russia) in March 2000 was detected by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and also initiated an increased observation frequency for ASTER. A complete framework of the eruptive cycle from April 2000 to January 2001 was established, with the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data used to monitor the large eruptions and produce the average yearly background state for the volcano. Twenty, nearly cloud-free ASTER scenes (2 days and 18 nights) show large thermal anomalies covering tens to hundreds of pixels and reveal both the actively erupting and restive (background) state of the volcano. ASTER short-wave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) data were also used to validate the recovered kinetic temperatures from the larger AVHRR pixels, as well as map the volcanic products and monitor the thermal features on the summit dome and surrounding small pyroclastic flows. These anomalies increase to greater than 90 °C prior to a larger eruption sequence in October 2000. In addition, ASTER has the first multispectral spaceborne TIR capability, which allowed for the modeling of micrometer-scale surface roughness (vesicularity) on the active lava dome. Where coupled with ongoing operational monitoring programs like those at AVO, ASTER data become extremely useful in discrimination of small surface targets in addition to providing enhanced volcanic mapping capabilities.

Five major explosive eruptions discharging pyroclastic volumes of more than 1 km^3 have been identified in the Holocene eruptive history of Avacha Volcano. All of these were Plinian-type eruptions, three (of andesitic composition) occurring 7150, 5500 and 4500 14C B.P. Two eruptions (3500 and 3280 14C B.P.) that supplied andesitic basalts preceded or started the formation of Young Cone on Avacha Volcano. We have reconstructed the dynamics and parameters of the eruptions, assessed their geologic, geomorphic and ecologic effects, and provided a long-term forecast.

Studies of melt inclusions in minerals of some Kamchatka volcanoes are reported. We studies andesite basalts and andesites in volcanoes situated in the Central Kamchatka Depression (Shiveluch and Bezymyannyi) and in the East Kamchatka Volcanic Belt (Avacha and Karymskii). In addition, we studied the basalts of the 1996 eruption in the Karymskii Volcanic Center and the dacites on Dikiy Greben Volcano, southern Kamchatka. We used homogenization of melt inclusions and the analysis of chilled glass in these inclusions with electron and ion microlog sondes. More than 200 melt inclusions have been studied in minerals from 25 volcanic rock samples. It was found that the compositions of melt inclusions in andesite phenocrysts strongly vary in basicity; the content of SiO 2 varies between 56 and 80% wt, increasing silica percentage going along with decreasing concentrations of Al2O3, FeO, MgO, CaO and increasing concentrations of Na2O and K2O. Most (about 80%) of glass in the inclusions have dacite and rhyolite compositions. However, the compositions of acid melts (SiO2 > 65% wt) which produce the andesites are significantly different from those which produce the dacites and rhyolites as to the content of TiO2, FeO, MgO, CaO and K2O. Comparison between the compositions of melt inclusions from andesite plagioclase on the four volcanoes showed considerable differences. The basic andesites (56-59% SiO2) of Bezymyannyi Volcano exhibit a large scatter in inclusion composition (SiO2 = = 56-81%). The more acid andesites (SiO2 = 61%) of Shiveluch Volcano show a lower scatter in inclusion composition (SiO2 = 67-79%). The melt inclusions in the Karymskii andesites are amore basic. They are enriched with Fe, Ti, Ca, Mg, P, Na and are considerably depleted in K. The melts that produce the Karymskii andesites are probably less differentiated. On the volcanoes under study we also found high-potassium melts (K 2O = 3.8-6.8% wt), independent of the concentrations of SiO2 in them (the range here is between 51.4 and 77.2% wt). The melts differ considerably between volcanoes as to the concentration of volatiles. The greatest concentrations of H2O are found in the Shiveluch melts (3.0 to 7.2% wt with the mean equal to 4.7% wt) and on Avacha (4.7-4.8% wt), lower concentrations being in the melts of Dikiy Greben (0.4-1.8% wt) and Bezymyanyi (<1% wt). Using fluid inclusions of CO2 found in andesite plagioclase of Shiveluch Volcano, we inferred a pressure of 350-1600 bars, which corresponds to the depth of the magma chamber equal to 1.5-6 km. We found the concentrations of 17 admixture elements in glass of melt inclusions sampled from the plagioclase of four volcanoes (Avacha, Bezymyannyi, Dikiy Greben, Shiveluch). Judging by the concentrations of these elements, the melts here studied are similar to the typical island arc magmas.

There has been given a new data regarding morphology of submarine volcanic ridges Gidrographov and Browton (Kurile island arc). Within the limits of this ridges there has been discovered four new submarine volcanoes, that has not been included in the Catalogue of «Submarine volcanoes and mountains of Kurile island arc». Two in the Gidrographov ridge and two in the Browton ridge.