Kamchatka, August 3: A long-dormant volcano in Russia’s Far East erupted for the first time in more than 450 years on Sunday, just days after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering tsunami concerns and renewed volcanic activity in the region.
The Krasheninnikov volcano, located in the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, spewed a towering column of ash some 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) into the sky, according to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Services. The ash plume was reported to be drifting eastward over the Pacific Ocean, with no populated areas along its path, officials said.
“The plume is spreading eastward… there are no populated areas along its path,” the Ministry stated on Telegram.
The volcano, which stands at 1,856 metres, has been assigned an orange aviation code, indicating a heightened risk to aircraft due to volcanic ash in the airspace. The eruption is the first historically confirmed activity from Krasheninnikov in over 600 years, according to Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team.
“This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years,” Girina said.
The unexpected eruption comes in the wake of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake on July 30, centred 133 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 74 km. The event is the strongest quake to hit the region since 1952, according to Kamchatka’s geophysical service, which warned of aftershocks reaching up to magnitude 7.5.
“The strongest earthquake since 1952 has just occurred… strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected,” the agency noted.
A 7.0-magnitude aftershock struck near the Kuril Islands on Sunday, prompting Russia’s emergency services to issue tsunami warnings for three coastal areas. While wave heights were expected to be low, residents were urged to remain cautious and stay away from the shore.
“The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the Ministry warned.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning System and the U.S. Geological Survey both confirmed the quake but did not issue any tsunami alerts.
In a related development, the Klyuchevskoy volcano – the most active in Eurasia – also erupted earlier this week. The volcano has recorded at least 18 eruptions since 2000, according to the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program.
Kamchatka, a seismically volatile zone located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is home to more than 300 volcanoes, 29 of which are active. The latest series of seismic and volcanic events has raised fresh concerns among geologists monitoring tectonic activity in the region.
