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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, crime and social issues. Other reporting has covered education, economics, and wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Nick joined Newsweek in 2021 from The Oakland Press, and his reporting has been featured in The Detroit News and other publications. His reporting on the opioid epidemic garnered a statewide Michigan Press Association award. The Michigan State University graduate can be reached at [email protected]. Barney Henderson is Newsweek's Content Editor, based in London, U.K. Barney joined Newsweek from The Times of London, and previously worked for The Daily Telegraph of London for 13 years, and The Hindustan Times in Mumbai, India. He is a graduate of both King's College, London, with an MA in Terrorism, Security & Society, and Nottingham University, with a BA in History. You can get in touch with Barney by emailing [email protected]. John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He has covered foreign policy and defense matters, especially in relation to U.S.-China ties and cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan. John joined Newsweek in 2020 after reporting in Central Europe and the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei and SOAS, University of London. Languages: English and Chinese. You can get in touch with John by emailing [email protected]
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The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula began erupting on Wednesday following a powerful earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast.
Lava began flowing from what is the largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere.The Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said in a post on Telegram: "A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions."
Volcano Erupted Hours after Huge Earthquake
The Klyuchevskoy eruption occurred just hours after a huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake early Wednesday triggered a tsunami that sent waves across the Pacific, prompting evacuations and emergency declarations from Russia to Hawaii and alerts as far south as New Zealand.
The quake is tied for the sixth strongest ever recorded and was upgraded from an initial 8.0 reading.
What To Know
Located in the Kamchatka region, Klyuchevskoy stands at 4,750 meters (15,584 feet) and last erupted in 2023. The volcano is situated approximately 280 miles, or 450 kilometers, north of the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
According to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service, observers reported explosions and visible streams of lava on the volcano's western slopes.
🔥🔥russia is the only country where even geology has joined the resistance.
After one of the strongest earthquakes in history, the highest volcano in Eurasia suddenly erupts?
Seems like Mother Nature herself is done living under putin. pic.twitter.com/uKBrDaEiEg
Scientists had been predicting the eruption for weeks, noting that the volcano's crater had been gradually filling with lava and the mountain had been emitting ash plumes.
During the day on Wednesday, the volcano sent ash plumes as high as about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) above sea level, Russian news outlet Meduza reported, referencing state media reports.
On July 19, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Far Eastern Branch published an image of the volcano on Telegram showing a lens-shaped cloud above the crater, illuminated by the lava below.
Kamchatka, often referred to as the "land of fire and ice," is one of the world's most seismically active volcanic regions, with around 300 volcanoes, 29 of which are active, according to NASA Earth Observatory.
The Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) has issued an advisory for the Klyuchevskoy eruption, reporting that ash is moving east at 10 knots and could spread hundreds of kilometers in the coming hours.
Updated 7/30/25, 10:24 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
