High-level eruption at Bezymianny volcano, Russia
Featured image: Satellite image of ash rising from Bezymianny volcano at 19:00 UTC on July 24, 2024. Credit: JMA/Himawari-9, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers
A strong explosive eruption began at Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka, Russia, at 15:10 UTC on July 24, 2024, ejecting ash up to 12 km (40 000 feet) above sea level.
- Bezymianny has experienced three periods of intensified activity over the past 3 000 years (VEI 3 – 5).
- The most recent period began with a significant eruption in 1955-56, which followed 1 000 years of dormancy.
Today’s first explosions sent ash up to 9.6 km (31 500 feet) above sea level and later up to 12 km (40 000 feet) a.s.l.
The large ash plume produced by the eruption continues to move to the east-southeast of the volcano, and at 19:30 UTC, it was 300 km (186 miles) away.
The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 20:02 UTC today for the first time since October 18, 2023, when a large explosion produced ash plumes that rose 10 – 11 km (32 800 – 36 100 feet) a.s.l.
While ashfalls do not currently threaten populated areas of the Kamchatka Krai, the explosive eruption of the volcano continues. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.
An extrusive eruption of the volcano increased significantly on July 21, with pyroclastic flows on the eastern slopes of the lava dome, sending ash up to 2 – 3 km (6 600 – 9 800 feet) a.s.l.
Satellite data acquired by KVERT on July 22 showed a significant increase in the size and temperature of the thermal anomaly over the volcano. On the same day, KVERT reported that ash explosions up to 10 – 15 km (32 800 – 49 200 feet) a.s.l. could occur over the next three days.
Bezymianny volcano, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula, is a relatively small volcano formed approximately 4 700 years ago over an older lava-dome complex and an edifice built 11 000 – 7 000 years ago.
It has experienced three periods of intensified activity over the past 3 000 years (VEI 3 – 5).
The most recent period began with a significant eruption in 1955-56, which followed 1 000 years of dormancy.
This eruption, similar to the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, created a large open crater through the collapse of the summit and a lateral blast. Since then, the crater has been largely filled by ongoing lava-dome growth, accompanied by intermittent explosive activity and pyroclastic flows.
References:
1 VONA/KVERT Information Release for Bezymianny – KVERT/FEB RAS – July 24, 2024
2 Bezymianny – Geological summary – GVP – Accessed July 24, 2024
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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