Shiveluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula erupts, spews cloud of ash

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: VE-20070130-9620-RUS
Date / time: 30/01/2007 08:37:38
Event: Volcano Eruption
Area: Far-East
Country: Russia
State/County: Kamchatskaya Oblast
City: Unknow
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:
A plume of ash from the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has stretched for 210 kilometres southwest of the giant mount, the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. Shiveluch became active on December 5, 2006 after a relatively calm period since autumn 2005 and this eruption is continuing now. The seismic activity level on the volcano is above the background level. Thermal anomaly has been registered there with temperatures 51.3 degrees Celsius above zero with air temperatures 20 degrees Celsius below zero around.

Experts have been permanently monitoring Shiveluch. An expedition of the Kamchatka Volcanology Institute working in the area of the volcano are collecting samples of ash spewed by the giant in order to assess the eruption progress. Shiveluch is one of 28 active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. This volcano is regarded as one of the most active on Kamchatka. Its height is 3,283 metres above sea level.

The volcano eruptions are explosive, which makes it difficult to forecast them. The Volcano eruptions in 1864 and 1964 were classified by scientists as catastrophic.

The nearest settlement Klyuchi is located at a distance of some 50 kilometres from Shiveluch. Specialists have said that the volcano currently presents no danger to settlements located nearby.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=9620