What triggered Russia’s sleeping giant? Scientists reveal why Krasheninnikov Volcano erupted after 600 years

The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka erupted overnight for the first time in 600 years, and scientists believe it may be linked to the powerful earthquake that struck Russia’s Far East last week, according to Russia’s RIA state news agency.

The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported that the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano began at 2:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, initially sending ash plumes 3 to 4 kilometers above sea level. The ash column later surged to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet), prompting authorities to issue an orange aviation alert for the region.

Olga Girina, head of KVERT, confirmed to RIA Novosti that this marks the first recorded eruption of Krasheninnikov in more than 600 years. The ash plume is currently drifting southeast toward the Pacific Ocean, the report added.


On the Telegram channel of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Olga Girina stated that the last known lava effusion from the Krasheninnikov volcano occurred around 1463, give or take 40 years, with no eruptions recorded since then.

Following the recent eruption, the Kamchatka branch of Russia’s emergency services ministry reported an ash plume reaching up to 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) in height. The volcano itself stands at an elevation of 1,856 meters.

The eruption of the volcano has been assigned an orange aviation code, indicating a heightened risk to aircraft, the ministry said.