Tallest volcano in Eurasia gets ready to erupt in Kamchatka

The volcano Klyuchevskaya Sopka in Kamchatka has started erupting, reports RIA Novosti, citing the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

An eruption in the mountain’s summit crater began after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred off Kamchatka’s eastern coast in the early hours of November 20.

“It is releasing lava bombs up to 10 times per hour. Because of the significant depth of Klyuchevskaya’s crater – around 200 meters [around 650 feet] – only some of them are visible above the rim,” said Alexey Ozerov, director of the Institute of Volcanology. He said the eruption would intensify.

The Institute added that another Kamchatka volcano, Shiveluch, has also become extremely active, emitting ash plumes twice in the past day. At night, nearly the whole surface of the mountain’s dome glows from lava flows reaching 1,000 degrees, which is observed “before a powerful paroxysmal eruption,” said Alexey Ozerov.

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• Klyuchevskaya Sopka is an active stratovolcano. It is considered the tallest of Eurasia’s active volcanoes. The closest settlement to it is located 45 kilometers [around 28 miles] away. It last erupted in October 2020, which lasted until February 8, 2021.