A volcano on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for what scientists say is the first time in hundreds of years, following a powerful earthquake in the same region.
The Krasheninnikov volcano spewed ash six kilometers into the sky on Saturday, just days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the area, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
Images released by Russian state media showed dense ash clouds billowing above the volcano within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve.
“The ash plume is drifting eastward toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated settlements along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited areas,” Kamchatka’s emergencies ministry announced on Telegram.
The eruption was accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude aftershock and led to a tsunami warning for parts of Kamchatka, which was later lifted by Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Services.
“This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years,” said Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
However, the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program lists Krasheninnikov’s last eruption as occurring 475 years ago, in 1550, leaving the discrepancy unexplained.
The eruption comes amid a series of dramatic geological events in Russia’s Far East. The massive quake last week caused minor tsunamis in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings stretching as far as Hawaii, North and Central America, and Pacific islands down to New Zealand.
On Sunday, authorities reported that the volcano’s activity was gradually declining, but “moderate explosive activity” could still continue.
