The Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula erupted early on Tuesday and sent up an ash plume 10 kilometers (six miles) high, posing an increased threat to air traffic, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said.
"On the night of April 11, the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano reached a paroxysmal stage. Due to the bad weather, video observations of the volcano are difficult; the cyclone continues to affect the situation here, it is snowing and there is a blizzard. However, calculations show that the height of the ash cloud has reached 15 kilometers," the statement said.
According to the institute, the volcano now has the highest "red" hazard designation for aviation. "Molten lava flows can travel up to 20 kilometers and block the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Ust-Kamchatsky highway," the institute said.
Shiveluch is one of the largest volcanoes in Kamchatka at 3,283 meters.
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at a distance of 51 kilometers (32 miles) from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia's Kamchatka, the regional office of the geophysical service of the Russian academy of Sciences said on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThe quake struck at 11:39 GMT at a depth of 89 kilometers, the seismologists said.
Early on Tuesday, the Shiveluch volcano located on the peninsula began erupting. Several villages in the east of the peninsula were covered with an ash cloud. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the ash cloud can reach the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which is located 450 kilometers from Shiveluch. Residents were advised not to leave the premises unnecessarily.