Pacific earthquake provokes dormant Russian volcano after more than five centuries

(MENAFN) The Krasheninnikov volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for the first time in over five centuries, triggered by a powerful offshore earthquake, according to local officials. The eruption began at 4:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, spewing a 6,000-meter ash plume from the 1,856-meter-high peak, as confirmed by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT).

Olga Girina, KVERT’s director, noted this was Krasheninnikov’s first confirmed eruption in approximately 600 years, with lava now forming a dome on its slope and continuous steam-gas emissions from the northern crater. Located within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, about 50 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the volcano is named after Russian explorer Stepan Krasheninnikov.

While the last known lava flow was around 1463, only minor fumarolic activity had been observed since then, most notably in 1963. In response to the eruption, KVERT elevated the aviation alert level from green to orange and reported ash drifting 75 kilometers east, though no ashfall reached populated areas.

This volcanic awakening occurred shortly after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on July 30, prompting tsunami alerts across the Pacific. The quake also triggered the most powerful eruption in 70 years at nearby Klyuchevskaya Sopka, and other volcanoes such as Shiveluch, Karymsky, Bezymianny, and Kambalny have also shown heightened activity. Authorities have urged the public to keep at least 10 kilometers away from active volcanic zones..

MENAFN03082025000045015687ID1109877861