A strong 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near the Kuril Islands in Russia’s Far East. After the quake, Russia’s Emergency Services Ministry warned that tsunami waves could hit three areas of Kamchatka.
Even though the waves are expected to be small, the ministry asked people to stay away from the shoreline for safety.
Read more: Russia’s 8.8 Quake Sparks Pacific Tsunami Warnings; Hawaii on High Alert
At the same time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System and the US Geological Survey also confirmed the earthquake but did not issue a tsunami warning.
Ancient Volcano Erupts After 600 Years
On the same night, the Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 450 years, according to Russian scientists and the RIA state news agency.
Read more: Dormant Russian Volcano Erupts for First Time in 450 Years After Major Earthquake | Watch
Experts believe this eruption and a recent big earthquake in Russia’s Far East may be linked. That earlier quake had caused tsunami warnings as far away as Chile and French Polynesia, and it was followed by the eruption of Klyuchevskoy, another active volcano in Kamchatka.
Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, confirmed that this is the first recorded eruption of Krasheninnikov since 1463.
Ash Cloud from the Eruption
The volcano sent up an ash cloud as high as 6,000 meters (3.7 miles). Fortunately, the cloud is moving eastward over the Pacific Ocean, and no towns or people are in its path.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry has given the eruption an orange aviation warning, which means there is a higher risk for planes flying nearby.
