A long-slumbering volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula roared to life overnight Sunday, spewing ash 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) into the sky in what scientists called its first confirmed eruption in at least 475 years. The dramatic awakening of the Krasheninnikov volcano followed a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the region days earlier, though experts cautioned against definitively linking the two events.
The eruption, accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude quake, briefly triggered tsunami warnings for coastal areas before being lifted. State media images showed towering ash plumes billowing from the volcano within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. Authorities confirmed the ash cloud drifted harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean, avoiding populated areas. Olga Girina of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team called it the volcano’s “first historically documented eruption in 600 years,” though U.S.-based Smithsonian records suggest a smaller event circa 1550.
The volcanic awakening comes just days after one of the region’s strongest earthquakes in decades—an 8.8-magnitude temblor on Wednesday that generated minor tsunami waves in Alaska and Japan, prompting transient alerts across the Pacific Rim. While volcanic activity tapered by Sunday evening, scientists warned of potential ongoing “moderate explosive eruptions.” The discrepancy in eruption timelines between Russian and U.S. records remains unresolved, highlighting challenges in verifying prehistoric volcanic events.
Situated in a sparsely populated wilderness famed for its geothermal features, the eruption posed no immediate threat to communities. Kamchatka’s 160 volcanoes—29 of them active—form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic instability routinely triggers seismic and volcanic events. The region’s last major eruption occurred in 2023, when the Shiveluch volcano blanketed villages in ash. As monitoring continues, scientists aim to determine whether the recent earthquake acted as a catalyst for Krasheninnikov’s reawakening after centuries of dormancy.
