Kronotsky Volcano in Russia Shows Most Widespread Activity in Centuries, Ash Plume Rises 9.2 km

On Saturday, a plume of ash 9.2 kilometres above sea level erupted from the Kronotsky Volcano, located on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Previously, such extensive volcanic activity in Kamchatka occurred in 1737.

A plume of ash 9.2 kilometres high above sea level erupted from the Kronotsky volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Saturday. The incident occurred at 11:50 AM local time, which was 11:50 PM GMT on Friday. The ash cloud from the volcano spread approximately 85 kilometres to the south and southeast of the volcano. This information was provided by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team's Telegram channel.

A Red Aviation Colour Code Issued for Flights

According to local news agencies, a red aviation colour code has been issued for both local and international flights following this event. This code is typically issued due to an active volcano eruption or ash emissions, which are extremely dangerous for aircraft. The volcano is located approximately 225 kilometres from the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and 10 kilometres east of Lake Kronotskoye. This incident occurs just months after six volcanoes erupted on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Scientists have described it as an unusual event.

The Last Such Widespread Volcanic Activity Occurred in 1737

Alexei Ozerov, Director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told a news agency that, according to our data, the last time such widespread volcanic activity occurred in Kamchatka was in 1737. This activity followed a major earthquake measuring 9.0 magnitude. He further stated, the powerful earthquake on July 30th has likely re-activated this activity. European scientist Yuri Demyanchuk said that in his five decades of work, he has never before witnessed such widespread volcanic activity in the Kamchatka region.