Stunning footage has captured the moment a volcano in Russia dramatically erupted for the first time in 600 years.
The Krasheninnikov Volcano erupted overnight in the Kamchatka Peninsula, which was the epicentre of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that triggered tsunami warnings for Japan, part of the US and the Philippines on Wednesday.
During the blast – the first in recorded history – the volcano spewed an ash plume of 29,000ft into the sky.
Pilots circling the area were warned of flight dangers with a red aviation alert following the eruption in eastern Russia.
‘This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years,’ Russian state news agency RIA cited Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, as saying.
Krasheninnikov’s last lava effusion took place in around 1436, within an 80-year range, an no eruption had been known to have taken place since, Girina added on the Telegram channel of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
the Kamchatka Territory EMERCOM of Russia said the Krasheninnikov volcano has been assigned an ‘orange’ aviation danger code.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry issued a recommendation not to visit the vicinity of the volcano or attempt to climb it.
‘The vicinity of the volcano is volcanic wasteland, cinder and lava fields without dense vegetation. At the moment there is no threat of natural fire,’ an official statement published on the website of the reserve read.
‘The condition of the volcano is being monitored. There is no threat to the life of the reserve staff, infrastructure and settlements,’ it continued.
The earthquake which took place earlier in the week was followed by an eruption of Klyuchevskoi – the the most active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Klyuchevskoi is one of the highest volcanoes in the world and has erupted a number of times in recent years.
The eruption of Krasheninnikov comes after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit the remote Kuril Islands in the Russian far east on Sunday, as per the German Research Centre for Geosciences said.
Footage emerged showing tsunami waves crashing against Shumshu Island, just off the southern coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, as a local man and his dog attempted to retreat from the danger.
While 6,089ft Krasheninnikov was listed as an active stratovolcano, it has not erupted for around 600 years, in the era before observations were made.
Ash covered the Kronotsky Nature Reserve which includes dozens of volcanoes, the world famous Valley of the Geysers, and one of the world’s largest concentrations of brown bears.
Vsevolod Yakovlev, head of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, said today: ‘Its eruption is not something out of the ordinary for a region with high volcanic activity.
‘During satellite monitoring, thermal spots have been repeatedly noted in the area of the Krasheninnikov volcano.
‘This is a significant increase in temperature on the Earth’s surface compared to neighbouring areas.’
Russian volcanologist Alexei Ozerov said: ‘A crack opened up along the volcano from the top of the crater, and a steam-gas mixture is currently rising from this crack.
‘Emissions are occurring, and a large amount of ash was ejected during the opening of the crater crack’.
He added that ash and the smell of gas reached the Valley of Geysers during the historic eruption.
Russian officials confirmed that there was no immediate threat to life or wildlife after concerns were raised over the safety of tourists in the area.
The response team said: ‘The explosive eruption of the volcano continues.
‘Ash explosions up to 32,800ft above sea level could occur at any time.
‘Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.’
The volcano belongs to Russia’s Eastern Volcanic Belt, one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth.
It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.
