Mutnovsky volcano erupts for first time since 2013, Russia

Tokyo VAAC issued a Volcanic Ash Advisory for a reported eruption to approximately 5.2 km (17 000 feet) above sea level. However, ash was not identifiable in Himawari-9 satellite imagery at 21:40 UTC, and the agency said it would issue a further advisory only if ash was detected.

Volcanologists at the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) raised the Aviation Color Code from Green to Orange and said the eruption lasted about 3 minutes. There were no further ash explosions observed, and activity at the volcano continued in the form of gas-and-steam emissions. The agency lowered the Aviation Color Code from Orange to Yellow at 04:20 UTC on July 2.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program currently lists June 30, 2000, as Mutnovsky’s last known eruption, assigning the event a tentative VEI 1. However, other scientific and monitoring records document a phreatic eruption in April 2007 and several moderate phreatic explosions at the Active crater on July 3, 2013.

Mutnovsky is one of the most active volcanoes of southern Kamchatka with multiple summit craters. It is formed of four coalescing stratovolcanoes of predominantly basaltic composition.

Growth of Mutnovsky IV, the youngest cone, began during the early Holocene. An intracrater cone was constructed along the northern wall of the 1.3 km (0.8 miles) wide summit crater.

Holocene activity was characterized by mild-to-moderate phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions from the summit crater. Explosive eruptions have been common since the 17^th century, with lava flows produced during the 1904 eruption. This volcano is located within the Volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage property.

References:

¹ Volcanic Activity Notice for Mutnovsky volcano – KVERT – July 1 and 2, 2026

² Geological summary for Mutnovsky volcano – GVP – Accessed July 2, 2026

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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