Kraichevskoy volcano in eastern Russia began erupting shortly after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks shaking the same area.
The geophysical center of the Russian Academy of Sciences states, “We will observe a fall in hot lava on the western slope,” in a translated post on the messaging app Telegram on Wednesday (July 30).
The Academy’s Kamchatka branch captured a camera eruption observing the volcano. In the Telegram Post, they reported that they viewed the “explosion” as “a powerful glow above the volcano.”
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The ash plume from the eruption stretched at least 1.5 miles (2.5 km) and 36 miles (58 km) east of the volcano, so the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Reaction Team said in a telegram. The group warned that ashes explosions up to five miles (8 km) high could occur at any time.
At this time, details regarding the full extent of the eruption and damage are unknown.
In the weeks leading up to the earthquake, “the volcano was showing signs of anxiety,” a representative from the US Geological Survey (USGS) told Live Science in an email. On July 21, a team of Russian scientists found a lava lake at the top of the volcano, indicating that the volcano was being prepared for an eruption.
Related: Russian volcanoes raise “Devil’s Horn” and spit out a 1,000-mile long river of smoke – Earth from space
“Although yesterday’s major earthquake did not begin an eruption, it is likely that the vitality of the eruption, including ashes, increased,” a USGS representative said.
Ascending 15,597 feet (4,754 meters) above sea level, Klyuchevskoy is the most active volcano in Asia and Europe, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. The volcano is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, a hot spot for geological activity due to the location of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The eruption was attacked on the same peninsula at 11:24am Wednesday hours after the 8.8 Magnitul earthquake (joined due to the sixth most powerful earthquake ever recorded). The earthquake could generate tsunami waves that exceed 10 feet (3 m) of the tides on the coasts of Hawaii, Ecuador and Russia, and the US National Tsunami Warning Center warned after the earthquake occurred.
The volcano is approximately 280 miles (450 km) north of the region’s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It last erupted in late 2023, erupting 1,000 miles long (1,600 km) of dust and ash river, reaching up to 7.5 miles (12 km) from the surface of the Earth.
The eruption is “typical activity in this very active volcano,” a USGS representative said. “The volcano is remote and this eruption coincides with other recent past eruptions.”
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