Shiveluch Volcano Erupts After 7.0 Earthquake in Russia

A significant volcanic eruption occurred near a major naval base on Russia's eastern coast early Sunday, coinciding with a powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. The Shiveluch volcano, located approximately 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, erupted, sending an ash column soaring up to 5 miles into the atmosphere and releasing a substantial flow of lava. This information was reported by TASS, citing experts from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The earthquake struck at a depth of 18 miles beneath the Pacific Ocean, with its epicenter situated about 63 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population exceeding 181,000. The city is surrounded by numerous volcanoes and is located across a bay from a significant Russian submarine base, raising concerns about the potential impact of the volcanic activity on the area. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued but was subsequently lifted. The U.S. Geological Survey reported no early indications of damage or injuries resulting from the quake. The U.S. National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially cautioned that hazardous tsunami waves could affect coasts within a 300-mile radius of the epicenter, but later confirmed that the threat had subsided. Minor fluctuations in sea levels may still occur in coastal regions near the earthquake site for several hours, but overall, the situation appears to be stabilizing.