Krasheninnikov Volcano Erupts for the First Time in 600 Years — and It May Be Linked to a Massive Earthquake

The Krasheninnikov Volcano has erupted for the first time in centuries, marking a dramatic geological event on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The eruption took place on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 3, according to reports from Reuters and CNN, which cited Russia’s RIA state news agency and regional scientists.

Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), described the event as “the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years.”

Located within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve — home to eight active volcanoes — Krasheninnikov began erupting around 6 a.m. local time, The New York Times reported. Some of the reserve’s staff were conducting research near the site and witnessed gas and vapor emerging from the crater.

The BBC reported the ash plume from the eruption rose more than 3.7 miles into the air. The Kronotsky Nature Reserve echoed that account, estimating the volcanic ash reached nearly four miles high.

Krasheninnikov Volcano itself stands at an elevation of over 1.1 miles, according to CNN.

The nature reserve confirmed that all employees in the area were safely evacuated. Due to the volcano’s remote location, it does not pose an immediate threat to any nearby communities, The New York Times noted.

KVERT also reported that no towns were within reach of the towering ash cloud.

Vsevolod Yakovlev, acting director of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, described the eruption as an “exciting and fascinating event,” according to The New York Times.

Girina said that before this eruption, the last known activity from Krasheninnikov dates back to the 15th century, the BBC reported.

She also suggested the eruption may have been triggered by a powerful earthquake that struck just days earlier.

On Tuesday, July 29, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 7:24 p.m. ET, roughly 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, according to an updated assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USA Today reported.

That quake was followed by the eruption of another volcano in the Kamchatka Peninsula — Klyuchevskoy, the region’s most active volcano, according to Reuters.

The quake is likely among the six most powerful ever recorded, per The Washington Post, and prompted tsunami warnings in multiple regions, including Hawaii, Ecuador, Guam, Japan, and the U.S. west coast.

The USGS noted at least six additional earthquakes occurred nearby, with initial magnitudes recorded at 6.9, 6.3, 5.4, 5.7, and 5.6.