Russia’s Klyuchevskoy Volcano Erupts After Massive 8.8‑Magnitude Earthquake in Kamchatka.
International
On July 30, 2025, Russia’s Klyuchevskoy volcano—one of Eurasia’s tallest and most active—erupted dramatically on the Kamchatka Peninsula, just hours after a powerful 8.8‑magnitude earthquake struck offshore. This natural chain reaction triggered volcanic explosions, ash plumes, lava flows, and a region-wide seismic-alert response.
- The earthquake, occurring at a shallow depth of about 19 km approximately 119 km off Kamchatka’s coast, is the region’s strongest since 1952, and prompted widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific—Japan, Hawaii, Ecuador, and Chile included. While buildings were damaged and many were injured, no fatalities occurred thanks to solid infrastructure and quick evacuations.
- As tremors hit, the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted, unleashing a powerful glow atop the summit, explosive bursts, and a visible lava descent on its western flank, confirmed by the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service via Telegram.
- The eruption released a towering ash plume rising over 3 km (1.5 miles) into the sky, drifting up to 60 km eastward. This contributed to elevated aviation safety risk levels—cockpit warnings and airspace monitoring were issued across flights over Kamchatka’s vicinity.
Main Point :- (i) Klyuchevskoy, standing at 4,754 m, is recognized as one of the world’s most volatile volcanoes. Recent monitoring had already flagged thermal anomalies in mid-July, and by late May had recorded ash emissions up to 1.7 km above the summit. These were rated as orange-level alerts, signaling heightened risk in the days leading to the eruption.
(ii) Although the eruption occurred in a sparsely populated region, it added complexity to earthquake recovery efforts. Combined with tsunami waves reaching 4–5 meters in Severo‑Kurilsk, which caused flooding and infrastructure damage, the event reinforced Russia’s vulnerability to cascading seismic-geological crises.
Capital: Moscow
Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin
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