PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, March 9 (Itar-Tass) - The Shiveluch volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula has spewed a column of ash to a height of six kilometres above sea level, the local branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Geo-Physics Service said on Saturday.
There is no danger to the local population, the source said.
The volcanic outburst was registered at 15:53, local time (07:53 MSK) on Saturday. The outburst was followed by an earthquake, which lasted for about seven minutes. The column of ash above the Shiveluch was seen from the Kluchi settlement /50 kilometres away from the site/.
Tourists and residents of the region who in the coming days are planning trips to the foot of the volcano have been advised to observe safety precautions. “In the immediate vicinity of the volcano the maximum allowable concentration of gas during steam and gas emissions may be exceeded,” the EMERCOM department noted. When approaching the volcano people can get under ash falls, “which can trigger allergic reactions, and volcanic ash, getting into the mechanisms of motor vehicles may damage them,” the rescue service emphasised.
Shiveluch is the northernmost and one of the most active erupting volcanoes of Kamchatka. It is located 450 kilometres northeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Shiveluch belongs to the Kliuchevskaya volcano group. There are three elements of the volcano: the stratovolcano Old Shiveluch; an ancient caldera; and the active Young Shiveluch, with an elevation of about 2,800 metres). Shiveluch is one of Kamchatka’s largest and most active volcanic structures. It is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava and volcanic rocks. The height of the volcano is 3,283 metres above sea level. Its eruptions are explosive. The giant mount has been active since September 1980. The closest to it settlement Klyuchi is located at a distance of 50 kilometres from the volcano foot.