Russia’s Krasheninnikov Volcano erupts after 600 years, sends ash plume 6 km high

Moscow: For the first time in 600 years, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted, sending a massive ash plume up to six kilometres into the sky, the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported.

According to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), the eruption began at 2:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, initially producing ash plumes that reached an altitude of 3 to 4 kilometres above sea level. Later, the ash column rose significantly, reaching up to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet), prompting the issuance of an orange aviation warning for the region.

Olga Girina, the head of KVERT, earlier confirmed to RIA Novosti that the eruption marked the first recorded activity of the Krasheninnikov volcano in over six centuries. The report also said that the plume is moving southeast, gradually drifting toward the Pacific Ocean.

“The ash plume from the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano is spreading to the southeast at an altitude of up to six kilometres above sea level,” read an official update from the Kamchatka Geophysical Service on its Telegram channel.

Kamchatka’s Ministry of Emergency Situations also released a statement on Telegram, confirming the ash plume’s trajectory.

“The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities,” the ministry noted.

Located approximately 200 kilometres north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and 13 kilometres south of Lake Kronotskoye, the Krasheninnikov volcano is part of Kamchatka’s Eastern Volcanic Zone. The region is known for its dense concentration of active volcanoes.

The eruption followed days after a powerful 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula, an event that triggered tsunami warnings and led to the declaration of a state of emergency in certain parts of Kamchatka and the Severo-Kurilsk district.

Earlier warnings had been issued by the regional Emergency Ministry, cautioning about possible ash emissions rising between 6 and 10 kilometres from several active volcanoes in Kamchatka.

In light of this heightened activity, both residents and tourists have been advised to stay at least 10 kilometres away from the summits of these volcanoes.

–IANS