Eruption in Russia’s Kamchatka threatens aviation

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula erupted early on Tuesday and sent up an ash plume 10 kilometers (six miles) high, posing an increased threat to air traffic, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said.

"On the night of April 11, the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano reached a paroxysmal stage. Due to the bad weather, video observations of the volcano are difficult; the cyclone continues to affect the situation here, it is snowing and there is a blizzard. However, calculations show that the height of the ash cloud has reached 15 kilometers," the statement said.

According to the institute, the volcano now has the highest "red" hazard designation for aviation. "Molten lava flows can travel up to 20 kilometers and block the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Ust-Kamchatsky highway," the institute said.

Shiveluch is one of the largest volcanoes in Kamchatka at 3,283 meters.

In the coming decades, the Kamchatka volcano Shiveluch will not erupt as violently as it did the day before. This was stated by the head of the volcano station in the village of Klyuchi Yuri Demyanchuk.

According to him, all possible next eruptions will be weak for a long time, since the main phase in this century has ended.