Russian state news agency RIA and scientists reported on Sunday (August 3) that the Krasheninnikov Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East erupted at night, marking the first eruption in about 600 years. In addition, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Kuril Islands region on Sunday, the second earthquake to hit the Russian Far East in a week.
The German Research Center for Geosciences stated that the Kuril Islands reported a 6.7 magnitude earthquake at the time of the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano.
Initially, the institution measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.35, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The United States Geological Survey reported a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Kuril Islands region. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System also confirmed the earthquake as a 7.0 magnitude and stated that no tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has lifted the tsunami warning issued following the earthquake in the Kuril Islands. The ministry had earlier warned on Telegram that despite expecting low wave heights, residents in three regions of the Kamchatka Peninsula still needed to stay away from the coast.
According to Reuters, a tour group from Snow Valley company captured the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano, while the group was visiting another volcano, the Klyuchevskaya Sopka.
RIA quoted Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, as saying that this is the first confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years.
The Kamchatka branch of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the volcanic ash column rose to 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) after the eruption. The volcano itself is 1,856 meters high.
“The column of smoke is spreading eastward from the volcano towards the Pacific. There are no densely populated areas along its path, and no reports of volcanic ash falling in inhabited areas,” the ministry stated.
Girina, head of the Volcanic Eruption Response Team in Kamchatka, said that this eruption may be related to the powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30. It was the strongest earthquake in the region since 1952, triggering tsunamis that affected a wide area of the Pacific. Japan and Hawaii issued evacuation warnings.
Following the strong earthquake, the Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the most active volcano on the Eurasian continent, also erupted.
The earthquake in the Kuril Islands could also be related to the strong earthquake on July 30.
Russian experts had warned that strong aftershocks could occur in the weeks following the July 30 quake.