A long-dormant volcano in Russia’s Far East erupted on Sunday for the first time in hundreds of years, scientists said, spewing an ash cloud several miles high.
The unusual eruption in Russia’s remote and sparsely populated Kamchatka region follows a series of seismic events this past week — including an earthquake and other volcanic activity — on the Pacific peninsula, 11 time zones away from Moscow.
The Krasheninnikov volcano erupted for the first time “at least in 400 years,” sending volcanic ash as high as four miles into the sky, the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, where the volcano is, said in a statement.
Staff members have been evacuated from the area, the statement said, adding that the volcano was too far from towns in the region to pose a danger to people.
Vsevolod Yakovlev, the nature reserve’s acting director, said in the statement that the eruption was an “exciting and fascinating event,” and that Krasheninnikov was listed among the reserve’s eight active volcanoes.
The eruption began at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, when staff from the nature reserve on a research trip at the volcano spotted gas and vapor spewing from its crater. They were promptly evacuated to safety, the reserve said.
The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, a local body in charge of monitoring and reacting to eruptions, said on Sunday there were no towns or villages within reach of the ash plume that resulted from the eruption.
Last week, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Kamchatka peninsula, setting off tsunami waves and alerts across the Pacific Ocean. No serious injuries or damage were reported. A few hours after the quake, an active volcano in the region, Klyuchevskoy, erupted.
Aftershocks have rocked the region in recent days, including a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the nearby and sparsely populated Kuril Islands on Sunday without causing casualties or serious damage, the authorities said. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry issued a tsunami warning, but called it off shortly after.
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