Krasheninnikov Volcano Erupts for the First Time in 600 Years — and It May Be Linked to a Massive Earthquake

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The Krasheninnikov Volcano erupted on Sunday, Aug. 3, marking its first eruption in 600 years

The resulting ash plume reached about 4 miles in height, but did not pose any threat to populated areas

The eruption may be linked to the massive earthquake that hit Russia less than a week earlier that caused tsunami warnings in multiple countries

The Krasheninnikov Volcano just erupted for the first time in centuries.

The volcano, located in the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia, erupted in the morning of Sunday, Aug. 3, Reuters and CNN reported, citing Russia’s RIA state news agency and scientists.

Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), called it “the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years,” per the outlets.

According to the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, where the Krasheninnikov is one of eight active volcanoes, the eruption began around 6 a.m. local time, The New York Times reported. At that time, some of the staff at the remote nature reserve were on a research trip at the volcano when they observed gas and vapor starting to spew from its crater, the outlet said.

The resulting ash plume reached a height of over 3.7 miles high overnight, according to the BBC. Echoing this, the Kronotsky Nature Reserve said it sent “volcanic ash as high as four miles into the sky,” The New York Times reported.

Krasheninnikov Volcano itself stands at over 1.1 miles, per CNN.

INSTITUTE OF VOLCANOLOGY AND SEISMOLOGY FEB RAS HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock

The reserve said that the employees were quickly evacuated to safety, and the volcano is too far from any populated areas to pose a threat, per The New York Times.

According to the KVERT, which monitors and responds to volcanic activity in the Russian peninsula, there were no towns within reach of the miles-high ash plume, the outlet said.

Vsevolod Yakovlev, the acting director of the reserve, called the eruption an “exciting and fascinating event,” in a statement, per The New York Times.

Girina said that prior to Aug. 3, the last recorded eruption of Krasheninnikov was in the 15th century, according to the BBC.

The KVERT head also said the eruption may be linked to the massive earthquake that hit Russia less than a week earlier, the outlet said.

On Tuesday, July 29, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 7:24 p.m. E.T., about 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said in its updated assessment, USA Today reported.

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The massive earthquake was followed by an eruption of another volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula: Klyuchevskoy Volcano, which is also the most active, per Reuters.

The quake — which is likely among the top six strongest earthquakes ever recorded, per The Washington Post — also triggered tsunami warnings in several areas, including Hawaii, Ecuador, Guam, Japan and the U.S. west coast.

At least six earthquakes followed, subsequently occurring near Kamchatka, the USGS said. Their initial readings had magnitudes of 6.9, 6.3, 5.4, 5.7 and 5.6.

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