Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s Far East keeps spewing ash up to over 2.5 miles

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, December 11. /TASS/. Russia’s active volcano Shiveluch, located on the Kamchatka peninsula in the country’s Far East, keeps spewing ash for two days in a row to a height of four kilometers (2.5 miles), but the eruptions pose no threat to nearby residential areas, local volcanic research group reported on Friday. The Kamchatka Volcanic Response Team (KVERT) warned air traffic control services of the danger, which volcano poses to aircraft issuing the "Orange" code of warning for the aviation. The service advised airlines to alter their scheduled flight routes saying ash particles are capable of choking aircraft’s engines. The Aviation Color Codes reflect four levels of danger posed for civilian aircraft overflying areas adjacent to volcanoes and range from ‘Green’ to ‘Red’ codes. According to the International Airways Volcano Watch system (IAVW) the ‘Orange’ code stands for "Volcano is exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption" or "Volcanic eruption is underway with no or minor ash emission." The cloud of ash, which the 3,283-meter (10,771 feet) Shiveluch churned out as a result of its emission, has extended to the length of 15 kilometers ( over nine miles) in the eastern and southeastern directions. There are over 150 volcanos on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East, and up to 30 of them are active. The Shiveluch is located some 450 kilometers (280 miles) to the northeast of the Kamchatka Peninsula’s largest city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchhatsky with the population of over 181,600. However, nearest residential areas are located within the distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Shiveluch, which had been regularly spewing out ash since 1980s. Read more