PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, June 9 (Itar-Tass) - One hundred and forty-eight quakes have been registered on Kamchatka’s Shiveluch Volcano over the past 24 hours, Kamchatka’s branch of the Geophysical Service at the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Sunday.
The strongest jolts could be accompanied by ash plumes spurted up to 9 kilometres into the sky.
Ash plumes cannot be seen over thick fog at the foot of the volcano. Volcanic dust fall was not reported in populated settlements close to Shiveluch, including the village of Klyuchi that is located 50 kilometers from the foot of the volcano.
Experts made conclusions on the power of the volcanic activity on the basis of seismic data. There is no danger to the local population, they said.
Nevertheless, Shiveluch was given an orange aviation alert code. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) at the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, warned that at any time it may spew ash up to 10 kilometres into the sky, which may pose a threat to local and international aviation routes.
The Emergencies Ministry’s department said flight routes of local air carriers were planned taking into account these peculiarities and at any time can be corrected.
Shiveluch is the northernmost and one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is located 450 kilometers northeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Its height is 3,283 meters above the sea level. Its eruptions are of explosive nature. The giant has been active since September 1980.