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On July 30, 2025, Severo-Kurilsk, a town in eastern Russia, was struck by a tsunami following a major earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula. Russian scientists issued warnings about potential strong aftershocks in the region. Additionally, the Krasheninnikov Volcano erupted for the first time in six centuries, leading the Ministry to assign it an orange alert level.
Russia’s Emergency Services Ministry lifted the tsunami warning for the Kamchatka Peninsula Sunday after an earthquake measuring 7.0 struck nearby Kuril Islands. While initial reports on Telegram indicated that wave heights would be minimal, authorities advised residents to stay away from the shoreline. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System confirmed the quake’s magnitude but stated there was no tsunami threat. The US Geological Survey also registered the quake at 7.0.
Later that night, Kamchatka’s Krasheninnikov Volcano erupted, marking its first eruption in 600 years, according to Russia’s RIA news agency and scientists. These events are believed to be connected to the powerful earthquake that rocked Russia’s Far East last week, which triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile. The same seismic activity also caused the Klyuchevskoy volcano, the most active on the peninsula, to erupt.
The Kuril Islands extend from the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Russian scientists had warned earlier in the week that strong aftershocks could continue for weeks. Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, stated, “This is the first scientifically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov in 600 years.” She added that the last known lava flow from the volcano occurred within 40 years of 1463, with no eruptions recorded since then.
Following the eruption, the Kamchatka regional emergency agency reported an ash plume reaching up to 6,000 meters (about 3.7 miles) into the sky. The volcano stands at 1,856 meters tall. The ash cloud was drifting eastward, away from populated areas, and elevated aviation hazard level to orange, indicating increased risk to aircraft.