Russian volcano erupts for first time in centuries after massive earthquake strikes Kamchatka Peninsula

Less than a week after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake sparked tsunami warnings throughout the Pacific Ocean, a volcano in far eastern Russia, on Sunday, spewed hot ash miles into the sky, marking the first time in hundreds of years the geological feature had erupted.

The Krasheninnikov volcano, located on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, sent ash 6 kilometers, or 3.7 miles, into the sky, staff at the Kronotsky Reserve said.

Images of the volcanic eruption, which occurred on the Kronotsky Reserve, were released by Russian state media and showed dense clouds of ash rising above the volcano.

“The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano toward the Pacific Ocean,” Kamchatka’s emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption. “There are no populated areas along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities.”

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Aerial view of the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano of the Eastern volcanic belt, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of the regional center of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia far east, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (Artem Sheldr via AP)

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake accompanied the eruption, prompting a tsunami warning for three areas of Kamchatka.

Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Services later lifted the tsunami warning.

“This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years,” Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

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Ash and smoke spew high above the Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (Artem Sheldr via AP)

But according to the U.S.-based Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Krasheninnikov last erupted in 1550, or 475 years ago.

The reason behind the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

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This photo taken on June 2, 2024, shows the Avacha Bay in Kamchatka, Russia. (Guo Feizhou/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Still, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said Sunday that moderate explosive activity could continue, despite activity at the volcano decreasing.

Krasheninnikov’s eruption happened after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck far eastern Russia on Wednesday.

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The eruption caused small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted tsunami warnings in places like Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.