Ring of Fire awakens: 600-year-quiet volcano erupts after massive quake shakes Pacific

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Pacific last Wednesday. This was the 6th strongest quake ever recorded, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake’s epicenter was 84 miles southeast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific, USGS said according to media reports.

Though no major tsunami waves hit, eyewitness footage showed tragic videos of whales washed ashore, likely killed by the quake. Scientists say this quake has now triggered volcanic eruptions along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a huge horseshoe-shaped area filled with hundreds of volcanoes, Dr. Alexey Ozerov of Russian Institute of Volcanic and Seismic Sciences said as per reports.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the largest volcano in the region, erupted just hours after the earthquake according to Russian geological sources quoted by reports. This was its first eruption in 600 years, as hot lava burst out violently, according to KVERT, according to the report by The Sun.

Krasheninnikov volcano’s massive ash blast

On Sunday evening, the Krasheninnikov volcano erupted, sending a giant ash cloud nearly 4 miles high into the sky as per Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT). This eruption is considered "historic" by Local Russian media and geologists. The volcano last erupted between 1423 and 1503, making this its first known eruption in centuries, historical volcanic records.

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KVERT quickly issued a red aviation alert, warning aircraft of heavy ash in the sky , according to the KVERT official alert. As of Monday night, the eruption was still going on, with possible ash explosions reaching up to 10 km high according to emergency services update, as per the report by The Sun.

A third volcano, Mutnovsky, started rumbling on Monday evening. A “thermal anomaly” was spotted by scientists, which is often a sign of coming eruptions according to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team. People were strongly warned to stay away from the site, KVERT public warning stated.

Scientists confirm earthquake link

Dr. Alexey Ozerov said there is a direct connection between the earthquake and the volcanic eruptions. He explained the quake "activated magmatic centers" and gave them extra energy, causing eruptions according to Dr. Ozerov’s official statement, as per the report by The Sun.

Dr. Jonathan Paul from Royal Holloway University, UK, said the quake likely opened cracks in the earth, which allowed magma to rise and build pressure — Interview with Daily Mail. He said the delay between the quake and eruptions like Krasheninnikov's happens because cracks take time to form — Dr. Paul.

More eruptions could be coming

Experts fear this could be just the beginning of more volcanic activity along the Ring of Fire — Volcanologists’ assessments. Kamchatka alone has 160 volcanoes, many of them still active — Russian geological records, as mentioned by The Sun report.

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Dr. Michael Manga from UC Berkeley warned that volcanoes in Chile, US Cascades, Japan, Indonesia and Kamchatka are all prone to erupt after big quakes as per previous scientific findings, reports said.

Russian scientist Alexey Ozerov said a crack opened on Krasheninnikov’s crater, releasing steam, ash, and gas. He said the ash spread to the Valley of Geysers, and there's a gas smell in the air, as per reports.. Ozerov warned tourists may need to be evacuated from the Valley of Geysers due to possible health and safety, as stated by The Sun.

FAQs

Q1. Which volcano erupted after 600 years in the Ring of Fire?
Klyuchevskaya Sopka in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted for the first time in 600 years after a massive Pacific earthquake.

Q2. Did the Pacific earthquake trigger volcanic eruptions?
Yes, scientists confirmed the 8.8 magnitude Pacific quake caused multiple volcanoes to erupt along the Ring of Fire.