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Kamchatka volcano spews ash column to 12 km altitude

Kamchatka's Volcano Bezymyanny has spewed an ash column as high as 12 km above sea level

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, September 2 (Itar-Tass) — Kamchatka's Volcano Bezymyanny has spewed an ash column as high as 12 km above sea level.

There is no danger for residential sites, the Kamchatka office of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

The ash plume emitted from the crater stretched 50 km northeast. The powerful emission was followed by a series of discharges to an altitude of up to 1.5 km above sea level. More than 160 local quakes were recorded on the volcano.

There have been no reports about ash fall in residential sites. Air services are warned about the danger.

Bezymyanny is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It is located in the central part of the Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes, 350 km northeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The nearest residential site is the settlement of Klyuchi, which is located 40 km away from the giant. The volcano, as a rule, erupts once-two times a year.

The most powerful was Bezymyanny's eruption in 1956. The volcano, which was 3,080-m high, in a short period spewed three cubic kilometres of volcanic products and became 200 metres lower. Its height at present is about 2,8 km.

In 1965, scientists observed 41 powerful eruptions of the volcano. Its eruptions are of an explosive character and do not last long.

Bezymyanny is constantly monitored since 1993.