7 days ago
Volcano in Russia's far east erupts for first time in 600 years following earthquake
The Krasheninnikov volcano erupted on Saturday. It is on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the country's far east, which was the epicentre of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that triggered tsunami warnings for Japan, parts of the US and the Philippines last Wednesday.
Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), told Russia's state-run RIA news agency: 'This is the first historical eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years.'
According to RIA, Ms Girina suggested the eruption could be linked to the earthquake recorded in Kamchatka.
On the Telegram channel of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Ms Girina said Krasheninnikov's last lava effusion took place within 40 years of 1463, and no eruption has been known since.
The Kamchatka branch of Russia's ministry for emergency services said an ash plume rising up to 6km was recorded following the eruption. The volcano itself stands at 1,856 metres.
'The ash cloud has drifted eastward, towards the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path,' the ministry said on Telegram.
Another earthquake was recorded earlier yesterday, with the German Research Centre for Geosciences saying a magnitude 6.7 tremor had struck Russia's Kuril Islands, which stretch from the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of seven, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWS) also measured the quake at seven.
There was no tsunami warning from the PTWS after the quake.
However, Russia's ministry for emergency services said on Telegram: 'The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore.'
