Volcanic ash covering the ground in the Ust-Kamchatsky district after the eruption of the Shivelch volcano in Russia on April 11
Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo
One of Russia’s most active volcanoes, Shivelch, has erupted, spewing out a huge ash cloud that blanketed a nearby village and set off an air alert.
A volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of the country began erupting just after midnight on April 11. A huge cloud of smoke and ash was launched into the sky, according to Russian officials. The last major eruption was in 2007.
According to news reports, up to 8.5 centimeters of volcanic ash fell on the village of Kryuch.
Danila Cheburov, head of the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Geophysical Survey Service, told Reuters.The ash height reached 20 kilometers and the ash cloud moved westwards with very strong ashfall in nearby villages. ”
However, the Kamchatka Volcano Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported that the plume only reached eight kilometers above sea level.
If the plume reaches a height of 20 kilometers, it could reach the stratosphere and affect global climate. In the stratosphere, volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide rapidly condense to form sulfate aerosols that reflect much of the solar radiation back into space, providing a short-term cooling effect.
For example, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines sent a cloud of volcanic ash up to 19 kilometers. According to the US Geological Survey, the surface cooled by up to 0.7°C in his three years after the eruption.
In view of the ongoing Siberuti eruption, KVERT issued a Code Red Notice to aviation, stating that volcanic eruptions up to 15 kilometers high “could of aircraft”.
It said an ash cloud was drifting about 430 kilometers south and west of the volcano. Videos posted on social media show roads and cars in the Ust-His-Kamchatsky district, about 90 kilometers from the volcano, covered in volcanic ash.
The Kamchatka Peninsula has one of the highest concentrations of volcanic activity in the world. Also known as the “Land of Fire and Ice,” the peninsula is home to 29 active volcanoes. Siberuti volcano is believed to have erupted at least 60 times in the last 10,000 years.
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