Shiveluch Volcano

About Shiveluch Volcano:

• It is located around 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city that lies in Russia’s eastern region of Kamchatka.
• It is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped volcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and volcanic rocks.
• One of Kamchatka’s largest volcanoes, it sports a summit reaching 3,283 meters (10,771 feet).
• Many lava domes dot its outer flanks. 
• Shiveluch is also one of the peninsula’s most active volcanoes, with an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years.
• The volcano has been continuously erupting since August 1999, but occasionally undergoes powerful explosive events, including in 2007.

Key facts about Kamchatka Peninsula:

• It lies in far eastern Russia, between the Sea of Okhotsk on the west and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea on the east.
• It is one of the world’s most concentrated areas of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes.
• It is about 1,200 km long north-south and about 480 km across at its widest.
• Area: Approximately 370,000 square km.
• About the size of New Zealand, it is one of the largest peninsulas in the world.
• Climate: Severe, with prolonged, cold, and snowy winters and wet, cool summers.
• Regional Capital: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
• The Kuril Island chain runs from the southern tip of the peninsula to a short distance from Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island.

Q1: What is a Stratovolcano?

It is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano. Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks. They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean. Strato Volcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth’s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt. These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions. 

Source: Shiveluch volcano erupts after 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off eastern Russian coast