The Sheveluch Volcano Rivals Mount St. Helens by Erupting Nearby in Russia

Russia (HDW) October 21, 2004 - A dark plume of ash streamed from the Sheveluch volcano on October 20, 2004 as it was captured in this picture taken by a satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This eruption is monitored by the Alaskan Volcano Observatory (AVO), and other U.S. government agencies associated with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS has also been monitoring developments with Mount St. Helens, which is near the Sheveluch volcano in Washington State of the U.S.

Located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sheveluch volcano is one the region’s largest and most active. The Kamchakta Peninsula is located directly across from Alaska, and it is near Washington State on the West Coast of the United States. Sheveluch has been erupting on and off for much of 2004, and NASA satellites have observed several plumes in October. The Kamchatkan Volcano Eruption Response Team (KVERT) places the volcano at alert level orange, indicating that an eruption is imminent or occurring. A second, fainter plume can be seen coming from the Klyuchevskoy volcano complex southwest of Sheveluch. It’s not clear which volcano in the complex is erupting, but it is probably Bezymianny or Klyuchevskoy, both of which were at alert level yellow. Both volcanos have been emitting ash plumes since the first week of October.