Pacific earthquake awakens dormant Russian volcano after 500+ years (VIDEOS)
Krasheninnikov erupted amid heightened nearby volcanic activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula
The Krasheninnikov volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for the first time in modern history, after a massive offshore earthquake triggered renewed volcanic activity in the Russian Far East, local authorities have said.
The eruption occurred at 4:50am local time on Sunday, sending a 6,000-meter ash column into the air from the 1,856-meter-high peak, according to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT).
“This is the first historic eruption of Krasheninnikov in 600 years,” Olga Girina, head of KVERT, told RIA Novosti. She said a lava dome was forming on the slope, with strong steam-gas emissions and a steady ash plume rising from the northern crater.
Named after explorer Stepan Krasheninnikov, the volcano comprises two overlapping stratovolcanoes within a large caldera in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, about 50 kilometers from the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The last lava effusion at Krasheninnikov occurred around the year 1463, give or take 40 years. Fumarolic activity was recorded in 1963, but no eruption had been documented until now.
KVERT raised the aviation color code from green to orange and reported that ash had drifted 75 kilometers east. Deposits were observed inside the nature reserve, but none reached nearby towns.
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The latest eruption followed an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on July 30, prompting tsunami alerts and evacuations across the Pacific.
In the immediate aftermath, Klyuchevskaya Sopka – one of Eurasia’s tallest volcanoes – also erupted in what officials called its strongest event in 70 years.
Other volcanoes, including Shiveluch, Karymsky, Bezymianny, and Kambalny, have shown increased activity, with the possibility of ash clouds reaching up to 10,000 meters. Authorities have advised nearby residents and visitors to stay at least 10 kilometers away from active sites.