Russia's Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano erupts after major earthquake

MOSCOW -- The Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano is erupting in Kamchatka following a major earthquake in the region, the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' (RAS) Geophysical Service said in a Wednesday Telegram post.

"Right now, the Klyuchevskaya Sopka is erupting," the RAS branch reported, with the message accompanied by a photo of the volcanic eruption.

Also, scientists are tracking flows of incandescent lava down the western slope. Currently, explosions and intense glowing are visible above the volcano. Footage has been published on the Geophysical Service's Telegram channel.

Earlier in the day, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck offshore Kamchatka, the strongest in the region since 1952.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka stands 4,850 meters above sea level, making it Eurasia's highest active volcano. It forms a symmetrical cone with a summit crater approximately 700 meters in diameter. Its slopes contain around 80 secondary explosion craters and cinder cones.

The volcano lies 30 km from the settlement of Klyuchi in the Ust-Kamchatsky District, where roughly 4,500 people reside. Its last eruption was in April 2025.