Just days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s easternmost coast, a long-dormant volcano erupted on Aug. 3 — its first eruption in centuries.
Located at the Kronotsky Reserve, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the 1,856 meter-high Krasheninnikov volcano erupted, blowing clouds of ash six kilometers into the air, staff at the reserve said.
No populated areas were in danger as the ash cloud drifted east to the Pacific Ocean. No further damages or injuries were reported after the eruption. The Russian Ministry for Emergency Services issued an “orange” aviation alert for aircraft, warning of potential ash in the air.
”The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano towards the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities,” Kamchatka’s emergencies ministry shared on Telegram as the volcano erupted.
“This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krashenninikov volcano in 600 years,” Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
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The response team reported that the volcano’s activity was decreasing, though “moderate explosive activity” may continue.
According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Krasheninnikov’s last recorded eruption happened around 475 years ago in 1550.
It is believed that the eruption could be connected to the 8.8-magnitude quake, Girina said.
The massive earthquake struck Russia’s Far East early on July 30, triggering small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompting warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America, and Pacific islands as far south as New Zealand.
Hawaii and most of the West Coast of the U.S. were under a tsunami advisory, while Japan saw residents fleeing to evacuation centers in affected areas. Still, no casualties were reported, and warnings were dropped.
Another quake
Following the eruption, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck close to the Kuril Islands, raising a tsunami warning for three areas on the peninsula. However, the emergency services ministry later lifted the warning.
Despite this, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System, which recorded the 7.0-magnitude quake, reported that there was no warning.
Kamchatka’s three geothermal power plants are in the southern and southwestern parts of the peninsula, far from both the earthquake’s epicenter and the volcano’s eruption. The July quake struck in the north, while the volcanic activity occurred in the east.
RusHydro, operator of all three plants, confirmed that the structures would continue operations as normal after the events.
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Second volcano
Another volcano close to the Krasheninnikov volcano is the Klyuchevskoy volcano, which also erupted after the earthquake.
Scientists reported a “descent of burning hot lava” down the slopes of one of the world’s tallest active volcanoes, just hours after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region, triggering tsunami waves across the Pacific.
“A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions,” the Russian Academy of Sciences’ United Geophysical Service confirmed on Telegram.
The Klyuchevskoy volcano has erupted a few times over the years, with the last eruption having occurred in 2023.
