Kamchatka volcano fills sky with ash cloud

The Karymsky volcano, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, is infamous as one of the world's most violent. Satellite images provided by an Alaskan volcano monitoring laboratory show an ash cloud from the volcano extending as far as 16 kilometers downwind, a Kamchatka seismological party told RIA Novosti.

In the past twenty-four hours, local seismological stations have recorded about 410 tremors in the Karymsky volcano. Some of the seismic activity episodes have been accompanied with the ejection of gas and ash columns 1,500 meters into the atmosphere.

Ash fallout has covered the area lying within ten kilometers of the volcano with a blanket 3 to 5 centimeters thick.

Volcanic ash, consisting of tiny jagged particles of rock and natural glass, can cause health problems if inhaled by humans or livestock. It also poses a serious hazard to flying aircraft.

The 1,500-meter-tall Karymsky volcano, located 125 kilometers south of the city of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky, has been erupting since January 2, 1996.