Hello Elizabeth - The VEI is supposed to take into account a lot of factors and rank the explosivity of an eruption, so there can be very large volume eruptions with low VEI (like those in Hawaii). For Alaskan volcanoes, I know it usually takes a bit after the eruption has ceased for people to determine VEI - and even then, it might be adjusted later. I'm not certain who determines VEI for Russian volcanoes. Thank you, -Cheryl -------- Elizabeth Hill wrote: I was wondering if the record magma coming from this volcano will raise the VEI level of this volcano higher than a VEI 4, such as it was in 1975? -- Cheryl Cameron Geologist, Alaska Volcano Observatory Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys voice: 907-451-5012 fax: 907-451-5050