Eruption activity escalated at the Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in autumn 2023.
Eruption activity escalated at the Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in autumn 2023. When the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image on November 1, 2023, the ash plume from Klyuchevskoy (also Kliuchevskoi) rose as high as 12 kilometers (40,000 feet) above sea level. The plume extended 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east-southeast, reported the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT).
As a precaution, authorities ordered the closure of schools in two nearby towns, according to news reports. The aviation color code was elevated to red, the highest warning level, due to the significant emissions of ash into the atmosphere.
In June 2023, KVERT noted the start of Strombolian eruptions at Klyuchevskoy, Eurasia’s tallest active volcano. Explosive eruptions and lava flows continued in the ensuing months. Landsat 8 captured an image of a tamer eruptive phase, along with activity at neighboring volcano Bezymianny, in mid-October 2023.
Read more at: NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: Wanmei Liang/NASA Earth Observatory
