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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Russian volcano explodes in 'powerful' eruption, likely intensified by 8.8 magnitude earthquake
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Klyuchevskoy volcano in eastern Russia began erupting shortly after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks shook the same area. "A descent of hot lava is observed on the western slope," the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences said in a translated post on the messaging app Telegram Wednesday (July 30). The Kamchatka branch of the academy captured the eruption on cameras observing the volcano. In the Telegram post, they reported seeing "explosions" as a "powerful glow above the volcano." The ash plume from the eruption extended at least 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) above and 36 miles (58 km) east of the volcano, the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team said on Telegram. The group warned that explosions of ash up to 5 miles (8 km) high could occur at any time. Details about the full extent of the eruption and damages are unknown at this time. In the weeks leading up to the earthquake, "the volcano was showing signs of unrest," a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) representative told Live Science in an email. On July 21, a team of Russian scientists found a lava lake at the summit of the volcano, signaling that the volcano was primed for eruption. Related: Russian volcano grows 'devil horns' and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke — Earth from space "While yesterday's large earthquake did not cause the eruption to begin, it did likely increase in the vigor of the eruption including some ash emission," the USGS representative said. Klyuchevskoy, which rises 15,597 feet (4,754 meters) above sea level, is the tallest active volcano in Asia and Europe, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. The volcano sits on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, a hotspot for geologic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The eruption came hours after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake — tied for the sixth-most-powerful earthquake ever recorded — struck on the same peninsula Wednesday at 11:24 a.m. local time. The earthquake could generate tsunami waves higher than 10 feet (3 m) above the tide on the coasts of Hawaii, Ecuador and Russia, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center warned after the earthquake struck. RELATED STORIES —The closer a volcano is to erupting, the greener the trees around it look from space —Melting glaciers could trigger volcanic eruptions around the globe, study finds —Lava erupts from gigantic fissure in Iceland following earthquake swarm — and the photos are epic The volcano is about 280 miles (450 km) north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital city. It last erupted in late 2023, when it spewed a 1,000-mile-long (1,600 km) river of dust and ash that reached up to 7.5 miles (12 km) above Earth's surface. This eruption is "typical activity at this very active volcano," the USGS representative said. "The volcano is in a remote area and this eruption is consistent with other recent past eruptions."
Daily Mail
05-08-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Kamchatka is moving AWAY from Russia: Scientists are baffled as peninsula shifts 6.5ft southeast following magnitude 8.8 earthquake
Last week, Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula was hit by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake –the sixth–largest ever recorded. The tremor released enormous amounts of destructive energy, triggering tsunami warnings as far away as Chile and the western United States. But when the activity had subsided, scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences were baffled to find that the peninsula had actually moved away from the mainland. In some places towards the peninsula's southern tip, the landmass had drifted as much as 6.5ft (two metres) to the southeast. That is similar to the movement caused by Japan 's 9–magnitude Tohoku earthquake in 2011 – the fifth–largest earthquake ever recorded. In a post on Telegram, the Russian Academy of Sciences wrote: 'We made a preliminary calculation based on the results of geodynamic observations. 'It turned out that we all went quite well to the southeast. 'The maximum coseismic displacements after the earthquake of July 30 were observed in the southern part of the peninsula.' Earthquakes occur along Earth's faultlines - points where the tectonic plates meet and move past one another. On average, the tectonic plates only move about 0.6 inches (1.5 centimetres) per year, but that movement isn't even and steady. In places like the Kamchatka Peninsula, where the Eurasian and Pacific plates meet, the plates become caught and lock against one another. When this happens, huge amounts of pressure are built up in the rocks along the faultline, which is ultimately released in the form of an earthquake. Scientists call this process elastic rebound, and it explains why landmasses move so quickly during periods of intense seismic activity. As the tectonic plates release pressure in the form of an earthquake, the two plates can slip past each other and often move several metres at a time. This process can actually continue for days or even weeks following the initial earthquake as the plates settle and adjust their positions. In the Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake last Wednesday, the release of such a large amount of built–up pressure allowed the entire peninsula to move up to 6.5 feet southeast. The earthquake released enormous amounts of energy, which triggered tsunamis that swept the nearby area (pictured), and led to tsunami warnings as far away as Chile and the western United States This process also explains why large earthquakes rarely arrive as isolated incidents but, rather, as sequences. The Kamchatka earthquake followed a 10–day sequence made up of 50 magnitude 5.0 or larger earthquakes, including three magnitude 6.6 tremors and a magnitude 7.4 earthquake on July 20. Similarly, large earthquakes are almost always followed by aftershocks – smaller earthquakes which follow in the wake of the main event. Professor David Tappin, lead tsunami expert at the British Geological Survey, told Daily Mail: 'They result from the sudden change in stress within and between rocks after the principal earthquake, as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. 'Aftershocks can happen in the days, months, or even years after the initial earthquake and are typically smaller than the main shock.' According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Kamchatka earthquake has already been followed by magnitude 6.9 and 6.2 aftershocks. The USGS says that the sequence remains active and that more aftershocks remain likely. The USGS predicts there is a 47 per cent chance of there being at least one magnitude 7.0 or larger earthquake in the month following the Kamchatka earthquake. These slips mean the aftershocks remain likely. This graph shows the likelihood that at least one earthquake of a given magnitude will occur within a month of last week's activity Within a year, there is a 13 per cent chance that the region will be hit by a magnitude 8.0 or larger event. Scientists believe that the flurry of activity following the initial earthquake has now also triggered two volcanic eruptions in the region. The Kamchatka Peninsula is situated directly above the Ring of Fire, a 25,000–mile chain of volcanoes that stretches around the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire is home to over 425 active volcanoes, including 22 within the peninsula itself. Just hours after the earthquake, Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the largest volcano in the region, exploded with a stream of lava and ash. On August 3, the Krasheninnikov Volcano then became the second volcano to suddenly erupt following the earthquake. 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. Scientists believe that these eruptions were triggered by the earthquake, which opened new faults in the rock and allowed more magma to escape towards the surface. Those changes in structural integrity and pressure may have pushed Klyuchevskaya Sopka and Krasheninnikov into erupting. This has sparked concerns that Russia's recent earthquakes could trigger a wave of devastating volcanic eruptions along the Ring of Fire. However, earthquakes will only trigger eruptions in volcanoes which are close to eruption. That means scientists do not expect to see significantly increased rates of volcanic activity along the geological fault. The Earth is moving under our feet: Tectonic plates move through the mantle and produce Earthquakes as they scrape against each other Tectonic plates are composed of Earth's crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle. Below is the asthenosphere: the warm, viscous conveyor belt of rock on which tectonic plates ride. The Earth has fifteen tectonic plates (pictured) that together have moulded the shape of the landscape we see around us today Earthquakes typically occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates, where one plate dips below another, thrusts another upward, or where plate edges scrape alongside each other. Earthquakes rarely occur in the middle of plates, but they can happen when ancient faults or rifts far below the surface reactivate. These areas are relatively weak compared to the surrounding plate, and can easily slip and cause an earthquake.
Al Arabiya
03-08-2025
- Science
- Al Arabiya
Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia's far east starts erupting after earthquake
The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula began erupting after Wednesday's powerful earthquake in the Pacific, a geological monitoring service said. In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said: 'A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions.' Located around 450 km (280 miles) north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoy is one of the highest volcanoes in the world. It has erupted several times in recent years. Wednesday's 8.8 magnitude quake off Kamchatka damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, but no fatalities were reported.
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Pacific avoids major damage after powerful quake off Russia
The tsunami waves, caused by a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia, have now rolled on southeastward toward South America. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Caleb Fotheringham Pacific countries have emerged relatively unscathed from a restless night punctuated by tsunami warning sirens. The tsunami waves, caused by a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia, have now rolled on southeastward toward South America. According to the US Geological Survey, there have been around 80 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or higher around the area, and there is a 59 percent chance of a magnitude 7 or higher shock within the next week. "It is most likely that 0 to 5 of these will occur," it stated. This video grab from a drone handout footage released by Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences on 30 July, shows tsunami-hit Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir island of Russia's northern Kuril islands. Photo: Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences The Guardian reported that a 6.4-magnitude quake struck around 200 miles southwest of the epicenter at about Wednesday 11am local time (ET). As such, while there are no longer any formal warnings or advisory notices in the Pacific, the threat of tsunami waves remains. Metservice said that waves as high as 3 metres are still possible along some coasts of the northwestern Hawai'ian islands. Waves between 1 and 3 metres tall are possible along the rest of Hawai'i, as well as as French Polynesia, Kiribati, Samoa and the Solomon Islands. In Fiji, an advisory was put in place until 10:15pm local time, though the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDMO) has reminded citizens to remain alert and continue to follow official updates. The office said people should take this as an opportunity to update their family emergency plans and evacuation routes. The NDMO also called on citizens to refrain from spreading false or unverified information in the wake of the cancellation. Advisory notices were cancelled in the early hours of the morning across Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, French Polynesia and the American Territories. Samoa was the last to rescind theirs, at around 4am local time. No damage or major incidents have been reported. In the Cook Islands, the Meteorological Service warned residents to anchor their boats and tie down their washing lines. "A big boss high-pressure system chilling way down southwest is flexing hard - sending savage southerly swells and grumpy southeast winds across the group like it owns the reef." "A sassy low-pressure trough is making a dramatic entrance tomorrow, rolling in with clouds, showers, and random thunderclaps like it's auditioning for a Cook Islands soap opera." In Hawai'i, an evacuation was ordered after 12pm local time along the coast of Oahu, including in parts of Honolulu, before waves began to arrive after 7pm. As local media reported, intense traffic jams formed across Oahu as authorities evacuated people in coastal communities, and a sense of panic stirred. Lauren Vinnel, an emergency management expert at Massey University, told RNZ Pacific that the ideal scenario would have been for people to leave on foot. "We know that this is where public education and practicing tsunami evacuation is really important. "We know that if people have identified their evacuation route and have practiced it, it's much easier for them to calmly and safely evacuate when a real event does occur." The advisory notice was lifted across Hawai'i at 8:58am local time. Meanwhile, tsunami sirens sounded on and off overnight in Tonga until authorities cancelled the warning for the kingdom at around midnight local time. Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga, during the 2022 volcano eruption and subsequent tsunami, said he was pleased the country's emergency alert systems were working. "The population is better informed this time around than the last time. I think it was much more scary (in 2022)...nobody knew what's happening. The communication was down." Vinnel said that she was satisfied overall with how Aotearoa responded. "Obviously, it's not ideal that initially we didn't think there was a tsunami threat based on the initial assessment of the magnitude of the earthquake. But these things do happen. I'm not sure that there was anything that could have been done differently." John Townend, a geophysics professor at Victoria University of Wellington, told RNZ Pacific that these happen frequently around the world,"but one of this size doesn't really happen more often than about once every decade." The last time an earthquake surpassed the magnitude 8 level was the 2011 Tōhoku disaster, which clocked out at 9.1. But Townend said that the characteristics of the "subduction zone earthquake," were largely in line with expectations for it's kind, a "subduction zone earthquake". "They have happened repeatedly in the past along this portion of the Kamchatka Peninsula.... these things happen in this part of the world. "In a New Zealand context, this earthquake was about one magnitude unit bigger than the Kaikoura earthquake and it released about 30 times more energy."
RNZ News
30-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Commuter ferry cancelled, warnings to sightseers as first tsunami currents reach NZ
This video grab from a drone handout footage released by Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences on 30 July shows the tsunami-hit Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir island of Russia's northern Kuril islands. Photo: AFP / Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences Emergency officials are warning the risk of tsumani surges is still very high and people shouldn't go sightseeing at shorelines. An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's remote east coast on Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves on multiple country's shores - including New Zealand, several Pacific nations, the US and Canadian coasts, and parts of South America. The quake is tied for the sixth-strongest ever recorded, and the strongest since 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami. Tsunami currents reached parts of the country overnight and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned the first surges were unlikely to be the largest. NEMA said the threat for New Zealand's coast was likely to remain in place until at least midday. Read more: Director of civil defence emergency management John Price told Morning Report there had been reports of tsunami activity in North Cape, Tauranga, Kaikōura, Castle Point, and Christchurch. He said surges could injure and drown people, and there is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone close to shore. "This is still an active threat. It is still a threat to human life." Despite the warnings, people were walking dogs, running and swimming at Takapuna Beach. For Irina Kalatcheva, it was a matter of distance. "If it was maybe close to New Zealand, yes of course we will not go to walk, but it's so far away," she said. Despite warnings of tsunami activity, people were out on Takapuna Beach on Thursday morning. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen NEMA said the threat must be regarded as real until it advised otherwise. Price told Morning Report there had been a glitch with the alert system which resulted in some people receiving multiple texts. There have been two official alerts and NEMA would be trying to work out why some people had received more than that. Civil Defence Northland said the forecast tsunami activity in its region that had been expected at about 12am-1am, would coincide with high tide. Further south, Bluff was not expected to see its earliest tsunami waves until at least 4.46 am. Overnight, various online webcams, dotted along the country's coasts and monitored by RNZ did not appear to reveal any damage. Boaties were advised not to remain on their vessels. Auckland Emergency Management opened four Civil Defence Centres for people lived aboard and who did not have friends or family to stay with. General manager Adam Maggs told Morning Report no significant issues were raised or noted around Auckland overnight. Two boaties spent the night at its Waikeke Island civil defence centre. Cook Strait ferries have been diverted from using the Tory Channel to the Marlborough Sound's northern entrance due to tsunami activity advisories. Three sailings were affected overnight adding 40 minutes to the journey. The Marlborough Harbourmaster briefly lifted the order on Thursday morning, before reinstating it. An Interislander spokesperson said it would be reassessed after midday. In Wellington, the East by West ferry which runs across the harbour between the CBD and Eastbourne cancelled services until at least 10am on Thursday. Further afield, while many countries began to lift their tsunami warnings into the early hours of Thursday, others issued new ones. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said New Zealanders in affected areas should follow the advice of local authorities at all times, including any evacuation orders, and let family and friends in New Zealand know that they were safe. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
