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Volcano Shiveluch covers more than 1,000 square km with ash clouds in Kamchatka

VLADIVOSTOK, December 28. /TASS/. A huge ash cloud is enveloping Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula Sunday after several eruptions of volcano Shiveluch reported on Saturday.

The ash cloud has an area of more than one thousand kilometres stretching for 45 kilometres. A gigantic volcanic cloud is staying at an altitude of 8,800 metres above the sea level and drifted westwards for more than 50 kilometres away from the crater, Kamchatka volcanic eruption response group at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in the Far Eastern Federal District reported.

A strong discharge of ash and gas was registered on Saturday afternoon. For ten minutes ash clouds climbed to an altitude of up to 13 kilometres. In the course of the day Shiveluch has made several volcanic emissions at an altitude of more than five kilometres. Aircraft were warned about ash eruption.

Shiveluch, the northernmost volcano in Kamchatka, is around 70 thousand years old and more than three thousand metres high. Powerful eruptions have already been observed on Shiveluch for more than 200 years. In 2004-2005 the volcano has intensified its erupting activity strongly and the eruption tore off its dome bringing down the mountain by 115 metres in height.

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