Vladivostok, 8 November (IANS). The Sivaluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted three times in the last 24 hours. Local media reported on Friday that scientists say the volcano has become more dangerous than before.
One of the three eruptions was very intense, sending a plume of ash up to a height of 11 kilometers.
According to the Institute of Volcanology, lava spread about 11 kilometers down the slope of the volcano, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Shivaluch’s eruptions are usually preceded by seismic signals, but recent large eruptions and the formation of a new eruptive center indicate a change in the behavior of the volcano,” the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Geophysical Service said. It warned that the eruptions were “not normal” for Shivluch.
It said, “Prior to these eruptions, seismic activity was at background levels, with only minor thermal anomalies and steam-gas activity. This new, more unstable pattern of activity means that Sivaluch has become more dangerous.”
Earlier in August, the Shivluch volcano erupted after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country’s east coast. On August 18, the state-owned Tass news agency, citing the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported that the volcano ‘has begun to spew ash and lava.’
“The eruption of Shivluch volcano has begun… the ash column is rising 8 kilometers above sea level,” the report quoted scientists as saying.
–IANS
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