A volcano in far eastern Russia has erupted for the first time in over 500 years, which experts believe may be related to last week’s big earthquake. The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka emitted an ash plume up to six kilometres (3.7 miles) high overnight. According to Russia’s emergency ministry, no populated regions are under threat. Hours later, another major earthquake in Russia triggered tsunami warnings across three regions of the peninsula. Both episodes could be linked to a big 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck a same area last week, causing tsunami warnings as far as French Polynesia and Chile.
Strong aftershocks were predicted by Russian specialists for several weeks following Wednesday’s earthquake, which was one of the largest ever recorded and forced millions to evacuate. The Kuril Islands were rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Sunday, which might cause waves as high as 18cm (7in), according to Russia’s emergency ministry. Despite the low wave heights, it stated that individuals in three locations of Kamchatka “must still move away from the shore”. Krasheninnikov’s last reported eruption occurred in the 15th century, according to the chairman of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team. According to Russian national news agency RIA, Olga Girina also suggested that it could be linked to an earlier 8.8 magnitude earthquake.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is remote but lies in the “Pacific Ring of Fire” – so called because of the high number of earthquakes and volcanoes that occur here.
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