Kamchatka's Shiveluchi volcano spewed ash plume 10 kilometers high

The Shiveluchi volcano, one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, spewed an ash plume that reached an altitude of about 10 kilometers on Monday, prompting authorities to issue a maximum aviation warning, EFE reported. According to the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, quoted by TASS, the ash plume rose to 10,000 meters above sea level, surpassing the eruptive episode four days earlier, when the volcanic plume reached an altitude of about 8 kilometers.

• Ash cloud moving inland

According to local emergency services, which have issued a red alert for aviation, the ash cloud is moving northwestward, inland from the Kamchatka Peninsula. Experts warn that a possible change in wind direction could cause ash deposits in the Ust-Kamchatsky, Milkovsky and Bystrinsky districts. Ash clouds pose a major risk to air traffic, as volcanic particles can affect aircraft engines and navigation systems.

• A volcano under constant monitoring

At an altitude of approximately 3,200 meters, Shiveluchi is the northernmost active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula and is under constant monitoring by Russian and international specialists. According to volcanologists, eruptions of this volcano are difficult to predict, as in many cases they occur suddenly, without obvious precursor signs. Two of the most powerful known eruptions, those of 1854 and 1964, were classified as catastrophic in their magnitude. However, due to the isolated location of the volcano, no casualties or significant material damage were recorded.

• Kamchatka concentrates 12% of the planet's volcanic activity

According to data presented by Russian volcanologists, the Kamchatka Peninsula is home to 68 volcanoes, aligned along a mountain range over 700 kilometers long. The region concentrates about 12% of the Earth's volcanic activity and is part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire", one of the most active seismic and volcanic zones in the world. In general, volcanic eruptions in northeastern Russia do not pose a major danger to the population, since most of them occur at considerable distances from human settlements.