The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia on 11 April sent plumes of volcanic ash many kilometres into the air and could affect flights
By Madeleine Cuff
11 April 2023
Volcanic ash covering the ground in Ust-Kamchatsky district after the Shiveluch volcano’s eruption in Russia on 11 April
Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo
The Shiveluch volcano, one of Russia’s most active, has erupted, ejecting a huge cloud of ash that has coated nearby villages and triggered aviation warnings.
The volcano, which is in the country’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, began erupting just after midnight on 11 April, launching a huge cloud of smoke and ash into the sky, according to Russian authorities. Its last major eruption was in 2007.
Up to 8.5 centimetres of volcanic ash have settled in the village of Klyuchi, according to news reports.
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Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of Russia’s Geophysical Survey, told news agency Reuters that “the ash reached 20 kilometres high, the ash cloud moved westwards and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages”.
However, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported that the plume reached only 8 kilometres above sea level.