Updates on the Eruption of Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Kamchatka: Road Closures, Ash Emmissions, and Safety Precautions

2023-11-01 05:13:59

Photo from a camera installed at the reception center of the Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Center Unified Geosciences RAS in the village of Kozyrevsk

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Due to the active eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano, on November 1, the Milkovo-Klyuchi-Ust-Kamchatsk highway was closed in the section from the 153rd to the 187th kilometer. Movement is limited due to the descent of mud-stone flows, informs the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Kamchatka Territory in its telegram channels.

Today at 11:00 Kamchatka time, an eruption occurred at 13 km on the volcano. The height of the ash column was limited by the height of the tropopause, reports Kamchatka branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Federal Research Center “Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences”. Volcanic shaking intensifies. Lava flows descend and mudstones are formed.

Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Center Unified State Geosciences RAS

Rescuers urge residents and guests of Kamchatka not to approach the volcano, much less climb it. Advertisements from “gray” travel agencies began to appear on the Internet offering to take tourists to the erupting volcano. There is no guarantee that they will be able to ensure the safety of people on such trips, they note. Ministry of Emergency Situations.

“According to the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a lava flow descends along the Krestovsky chute of Klyuchevsky volcano, which caused phreatic explosions from contact with water and ice. As a result of this, mud and stone flows occur along the Krutenkaya and Kergurich rivers in the Ust-Kamchatka region,” the report says.

It is extremely dangerous to attempt to ford rivers, which as a result of these processes fill with water. Ash emissions and landslides also pose a danger. Near the volcano, the maximum permissible gas concentration may be exceeded due to vapor-gas emissions. Ash can cause allergic reactions and damage machinery. Sulfur and other corrosive elements in the air provoke various types of illness (allergic reaction, respiratory diseases, etc.) and poison water in open tanks.

The administration of the Ust-Kamchatka region has closed educational institutions: classes in school camps, sections and kindergartens have been cancelled. The ash plume goes south of the village of Klyuchi and currently does not pose a threat to populated areas. The day before, the volcanic trembling on the volcano increased 4 times; volcanologists say that such behavior of the giant is atypical, he writes in his telegram channels leading specialist of the FOBOS center Mikhail Leus.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka (Klyuchevskoy) is the highest active volcano in Eurasia (regarding 4850 meters). Its eruption began on June 23, 2023, and in recent days it has been throwing out columns of ash every day. On October 31, the volcano was assigned a “red” danger code – the eruption is dangerous for aviation. Ashfalls were recorded in neighboring settlements.

Photo from a camera installed at the reception center of the Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Center Unified Geosciences RAS in the village of Kozyrevsk

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