Russia: Peninsula of 300,000 people attacked by volcanoes and earthquakes.

According to Reuters, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake (on the local scale) struck off the coast of Kamchatka on April 11, causing panic among residents of the peninsula, which had been affected by a volcanic eruption just 24 hours earlier.

Russian scientists say it was an aftershock from an earthquake that occurred in the area on April 3-4. Fortunately, the US Geological Survey assessed the earthquake as only 4.9 magnitude (on the US Moment scale), meaning it was not strong enough to cause significant damage.

A road in Kamchatka on April 11 was covered in mud and ash - Photo: REUTERS

The Kamchatka Peninsula had suffered the eruption of one of the country's most powerful volcanoes, Shiveluch, the day before. Images showed plumes of ash billowing over the forests and rivers of Russia's Far East.

The Shiveluch volcano erupted just after midnight on April 10 and peaked about six hours later, spewing an ash cloud over an area of ​​108,000 ^km² , according to the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey Agency of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A layer of ash up to 8.5 cm thick covered many villages - Photo: REUTERS

Lava flows from the volcano melted the snow, leading to mudslide warnings along the nearby highway; while villages were covered in a thick layer of gray ash, 8.5 cm deep, the deepest in 60 years.

"The ash cloud rose to a height of 20 kilometers, moving westward, and fell heavily on nearby villages," said Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Geophysical Survey.

Approximately 300,000 people live on the vast Kamchatka Peninsula, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean near northeastern Japan.

Anh Thu

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/nga-ban-dao-300000-dan-bi-nui-lua-dong-dat-tan-cong-2023041209165856.htm