Shiveluch volcano active again - 30 April, 2004

Ash has been ejected 2,000-5,000 meters into the air from the crater of the Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka (peninsula in Russia's Far East).

The Kamchatka Seismologic Expedition told RIA Novosti on Friday that the most powerful ejection of ash (over 5,000 meters in the air) occurred at 7:24 a.m. local time and was accompanied by an earthquake that lasted five and a half minutes.

The Alaskan Volcanological Observatory provided satellite photographs that clearly show an ash trail stretching over 40 kilometers to the northeast.

Seismic stations registered series of earthquakes and volcanic tremors near the active dome.

After a long period of quiet, the activity of the northernmost active volcano of Kamchatka (Shiveluch is 3,283 meters tall) increased in January 2004.

Currently, the volcano presents no threat to the populated areas of the peninsula. Ash ejections and trails do seriously threaten aviation, as particles of volcanic ash may cause malfunctions in airplane turbines. Therefore, sudden ejections complicate air navigation.