The Shiveluch volcano in Russia‘s Kamchatka Peninsula erupted early on Tuesday and sent up an ash plume 10 kilometers (six miles) high into the air, posing an increased threat to air traffic, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said.
The team issued a code red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, noting that ash explosions 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) high could occur at any time. “Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft,” it said.
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. Russian media reports indicated it was continuing to spread.
Kamchatka has about 160 volcanoes
Local authorities closed schools and ordered residents in nearby villages to stay indoors, head of the Ust-Kamchatsky municipal region Oleg Bondarenko said in a Telegram post.
The peninsula in 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.
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.
dh/jsi (dpa, Reuters)
Read More: Volcanic eruption in Russia’s Kamchatka threatens aviation – DW – 04/11/2023
