Kamchatka's Krasheninnikov volcano erupts for the first time in 600 years

The Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia's Kamchatka has begun erupting for the first time in nearly 600 years, according to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT).

On the Telegram channel of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, KVERT said that the last eruption took place in 1463, and none has been known to have occurred since.

It comes after the Ministry of Emergency Services in the Kamchatka region reported that a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Kamchatka.

The ministry issued a tsunami warning for the Kamchatka peninsula, which has since been lifted.

An ash plume was recorded rising up to a height of 5-6 kilometres above sea level. The volcano itself stands at 1,856 metres.

The lava flow continued pouring down the south-western slope of the volcano, reaching a length of 2.7 kilometres, the researchers reported.

Possible connection to earlier 8.8 magnitude earthquake

The volcano belongs to Russia's Eastern Volcanic Belt, one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Quakes and tsunamis regularly strike the peninsula that lies close to an ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet.

Sunday's earthquake and subsequent volcanic eruption could be connected to Wednesday's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, according to KVERT.

Earlier this week, Kamchatka's tallest volcano, Klyuchevskaya Sopka, also experienced eruptions, with observers seeing streams of lava on its western slopes, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ geophysical service.

Negative travel advice remains in place

The Kamchatka Territory EMERCOM of Russia said the Krasheninnikov volcano has been assigned an "orange" aviation danger code. The Russian Emergencies Ministry issued a recommendation not to visit the vicinity of the volcano or attempt to climb it.

"The vicinity of the volcano is volcanic wasteland, cinder and lava fields without dense vegetation. At the moment there is no threat of natural fire. The condition of the volcano is being monitored. There is no threat to the life of the reserve staff, infrastructure and settlements," an official statement published on the website of the reserve read.

The reserve said that the first ever footage of the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano was made by representatives of the Snezhnaya Dolina tour company during a flight to the Valley of Geysers.

"This is one of the 8 active volcanoes of the Kronotsky Reserve. Therefore, its eruption is not something out of the ordinary for a region with high volcanic activity," said Vsevolod Yakovlev, acting director of the Kronotsky State Reserve.