A volcano in Russia's Far East erupts for the first time in centuries
The Krasheninnikov volcano sent ash 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) into the sky, according to staff at the Kronotsky Reserve, where the volcano is located. Images released by state media showed dense clouds of ash rising above the volcano.
'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,' Kamchatka's emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption.
The eruption was accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and prompted a tsunami warning for three areas of Kamchatka. The tsunami warning was later lifted by Russia's Ministry for Emergency Services.
'This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years,' Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, based in the U.S., however, lists Krasheninnikov's last eruption as occurring 475 years ago in 1550.
The reason for the discrepancy was not clear.
The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said late Sunday that the volcano's activity was decreasing but that 'moderate explosive activity" could continue.
The eruption occurred after a huge earthquake struck Russia's Far East early Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude temblor that caused small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fears over 'Ring of Fire' eruptions as Russian volcano roars into life for the first time in 500 years following huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake
Scientists have warned that a string of volcanic eruptions along the volatile 'Ring of Fire' could have been caused by an enormous earthquake. The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, roared into life in a 'historic' eruption on Sunday. As it erupted for the first time in over 500 years, the volcano sent a plume of ash 3.7 miles (6 km) into the sky. According to experts, this destructive blast was likely triggered by the huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck last week. Last Wednesday, Russia was hit by the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded, sending people fleeing from tsunami warnings as far away as Chile and Hawaii. Shortly after the tremor, another volcano in the Kamchatka region also erupted, sending streams of lava pouring down its slopes. Dr Alexey Ozerov, Director of the Russian Institute of Volcanic and Seismic Sciences, said that there was a 'direct connection' between the powerful earthquake and these eruptions. Dr Ozerov says: 'We associate the eruptions with the earthquake, which activated magmatic centres, and "pumped" additional energy into them.' Last Wednesday, data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) showed an earthquake struck about 84 miles east-southeast of Kamchatka, Russia, at around 7:24 pm EST, marking the sixth strongest earthquake ever. Just hours later, Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the largest volcano in the Kamchatka Peninsula, exploded with a stream of lava and ash. On Sunday, the Krasheninnikov Volcano became the second volcano to suddenly erupt following the earthquake. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) called the eruption 'historic' and reported that clouds of ash travelled 46 miles (75 km) from the blast. The last time Krasheninnikov erupted was sometime between 1423 and 1503. Roughly nine hours after the eruption, KVERT issued an aviation 'red alert' warning of significant levels of ash being sent into the atmosphere. As of Monday evening local time, the eruption remained ongoing with KVERT warning that 'ash explosions up to 10 km (32,800 ft) a.s.l. could occur at any time'. Following the eruption, the region was hit by another 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which triggered tsunami warnings all across the peninsula. What would happen if the Ring of Fire erupted? If the Ring of Fire erupted, the most immediate effects would be felt by areas close to volcanoes. Eruptions up to a ranking of seven on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, as large as Krakatoa, would occur all along the chain of volcanoes. Ash injected into the atmosphere could cause planes to crash and trigger global travel chaos. The injection of dust and sulphur into the atmosphere would then lead to global cooling. This could drop temperatures as much as 1°C (1.8°F), leading to widespread crop failure. Scientists now say that all three of these events could have been caused by Sunday's earthquake. Dr Jonathan Paul, a volcanologist from Royal Holloway University of London, told Daily Mail: 'The earthquake released a huge amount of stress in the crust, which could have made an eruption easier by opening up new lines of weakness through which magma could travel upwards.' Dr Paul says that the delay between the initial earthquake and the eruption of Krasheninnikov is likely due to the fact that the fractures in the rock took time to develop. In the days between the events, magma would have been forcing itself through new lines of weakness and building up enough pressure to erupt. These events have sparked concerns that more volcanic activity may be on its way. Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has an exceptionally high density of active volcanoes because it is situated directly above the Ring of Fire - a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes that stretches around the Pacific Ocean. Made up of numerous faults between shifting tectonic plates, the Ring of Fire is home to over 425 volcanoes, making up 75 per cent of all active volcanic sites on Earth. This includes some of the most destructive volcanoes ever to erupt, including Krakatoa, Mount Tambora, and Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai. Could the Ring of Fire erupt? Scientists say that an earthquake could never cause the entire Ring of Fire to erupt. Earthquakes can only trigger eruptions in volcanoes that were going to erupt anyway. The Ring of Fire is made up of too many plate borders with different geometries and rock types for this to ever occur. Some scientists have suggested that a sufficiently large earthquake could trigger more volcanic activity along the Ring of Fire. Michael Manga, a geoscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, previously told the Daily Mail: 'The volcanoes in volcanic arcs, including Chile, the US Cascades, Japan, Indonesia and Kamchatka, are prone to erupt after earthquakes.' Were the Ring of Fire to erupt, the results could be extremely dangerous. People in the vicinity of a volcano would be at risk from falling rocks, toxic gases, deadly mudslides, and boiling hot pyroclastic flows. The bigger danger would come from the fact that, as volcanoes erupt, they inject huge quantities of sulphur and dust into the upper atmosphere. This could block out the sun and cause global temperatures to plummet as much as 1°C (1.8°F) for several years. Dr Paul says: 'Both the eruption and earthquake are bound together by plate tectonics. 'Earthquakes are always a likelihood around the Ring of Fire because of localised plate tectonic activity. 'Earthquakes are triggered because the movement of tectonic plates with respect to each other isn't a continuous process; it takes place in fits and starts, because of the build-up and release of friction and pressure.' 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BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Russian volcano erupts for first time in more than 500 years
A volcano in Russia has erupted for the first time in more than 500 years. Scientists say it could be linked to last week's 8.8 magnitude earthquake which caused tsunami warnings in places like Japan and Hawaii. The Krasheninnikov Volcano is found in the Kamchatka peninsula - the epicentre of the earthquake. A plume of ash was thrown six kilometres (3.7 miles) into the air overnight. Russia's emergency ministry said there was no threat to areas where people live. Last week's earthquake was one of the strongest ever recorded and experts have warned that aftershocks are possible for the next several weeks. The Krasheninnikov Volcano lives on Russia's Eastern Volcanic Belt which is home to around 300 volcanoes and according to Nasa's Earth Observatory, 29 of them are still active. Researchers say lava flowed from the south-western side of the volcano for 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles).It's thought the last time lava spewed from this volcano was around 1463.
Glasgow Times
12 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Volcano in Russia's Far East erupts for first time in centuries
The Krasheninnikov volcano sent ash more than three miles into the sky, according to staff at the Kronotsky Reserve, where the volcano is located. Images released by state media showed dense clouds of ash rising above the volcano. An aerial view of the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano (Artem Sheldr/AP) '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,' Kamchatka's emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption. The eruption was accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and prompted a tsunami warning for three areas of Kamchatka. The tsunami warning was later lifted by Russia's Ministry for Emergency Services. 'This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years,' Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. However, the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Programme, based in the US, lists Krasheninnikov's last eruption as occurring 475 years ago in 1550. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said late on Sunday that the volcano's activity was decreasing but 'moderate explosive activity' could continue. The eruption occurred after a huge earthquake struck Russia's Far East early on Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude tremor that caused small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south towards New Zealand.
