Shiveluch Volcano Spews Dust Clouds 65,600 Feet Up, Blankets 300 Miles of Russia with Ash After Eruption

Following the eruption of the Shiveluch Volcano, which sent dust clouds 65,600 feet into the air, ash-covered 300 miles of Russia.

On the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia, a volcano erupted early on Tuesday, sending dust clouds 65,600 feet into the air and blanketing large areas with ash.

Shiveluch, one of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, recently erupted, producing a 300-mile-long ash cloud that covered several villages in grey volcanic dust.

Dust Clouds and an Ash Blanket

Trans-Pacific international flights are being impacted by the ash because they must reroute around the volcanic hazards, reports WeatherBoy.

An active region west of Alaska across the Bering Sea is being affected by the eruption in terms of aviation interests.

A plane-free zone over the concerned area was declared by authorities.

Authorities across several affected communities advised inhabitants to stay inside and closed schools.

For a few hours, two villages were without power before emergency personnel was able to restore it.

According to the regional division of the Russian Academy of Sciences Geophysical Survey, ash fell over an area of 41,699 square miles.

The fallout was the largest in nearly 60 years, according to scientists.

A 3-inch layer of dust was covering the village of Klyuchi, which is situated about 30 miles away from the volcano.

Videos that locals posted online showed the ash cloud engulfing the area in darkness.

Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Kamchatka, added that only some villagers who have health problems may need to be temporarily evacuated even though there was no need for a mass evacuation.

Massive ash clouds are seen moving from the volcano in a video posted on Twitter by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via USA Today.

The video depicted the volcano in "full eruption mode," with ash emissions reaching a height of 12 miles, according to the government account.

Shiveluch Volcano

The 10,771-foot Old Shiveluch and the smaller, very active Young Shiveluch make up Shiveluch.

One of the world's most concentrated areas of geothermal activity is the Kamchatka Peninsula, which stretches into the Pacific Ocean approximately 4,000 miles due east of Moscow and has about 30 active volcanoes, The Washington Post reported.

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Advisories

Pilots are still being advised to avoid the area by the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), which is in charge of overseeing the area affected by the ongoing eruption.

Ash and gas from Shiveluch rose, according to the Tokyo VAAC via WeatherBoy.

The majority of traffic to and from North America and Asia passes through Shiveluch as they travel in great circles around the Pacific Ocean.

Shiveluch is situated beneath this extremely busy "highway of the sky."

The majority of commercial trans-Pacific aviation traffic travels at about 42,000 feet.

According to USA Today, seismic activity began to be noticed at 12:54 AM local time, and 15 hours later, the department reported that the volcano was still erupting.

A "red" hazard designation, the highest level, has been issued for aviation, according to the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and there is a possibility of hot lava flows obstructing roads, Russian state news agency TASS reported via WeatherBoy.

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