Russian volcano spews masses of ash across Kamchatka
April 11, 2023
The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted early on Tuesday and sent up an ash plume 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) high into the air, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said.
The team issued a code red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, noting that further ash explosions 15 kilometers high could occur at any time.
"Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft," it said.
Thick layer of ash
The ash cloud following the eruption drifted to the west and south and measured 400 by 270 kilometers, the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Telegram.
Residents in the village of Klyuchi were faced with an 8.5-centimeter-thick layer of ash covering homes, cars, and the ground, director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Ozerov said.
They also reported the water coming out of their taps had turned ash-grey. A military base was reportedly organizing drinking water.
Russian media reports indicated the ash cloud was continuing to spread with experts warning it could even reach the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, around 450 kilometers away.
It was not yet clear how dangerous the eruption and ash cloud could prove to be to the region's sparse population.
Local authorities closed schools and ordered residents in nearby villages to stay indoors, the head of the Ust-Kamchatsky municipal region Oleg Bondarenko said in a Telegram post.
Kamchatka has about 160 volcanoes
Shiveluch is one of the largest volcanoes on the Kamchatka peninsula with an altitude of over 3,000 meters.
The peninsula that juts out into the North Pacific Ocean has about 160 volcanoes, but only about two dozen of them are active. UNESCO lists the Volcanoes of Kamchatka as a World Heritage Site.
Volcanologists had been predicting an eruption at Shiveluch for months. It comes days after the nearby Bezymianny volcano sent a 10-kilometer plume of ash into the air.
One of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanoes, Shiveluch has had an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years, the last major one being in 2007.
ab, dh/jsi (dpa, Reuters)