The largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere began erupting following the massive earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of Russia today (Wednesday).
The Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service announced that lava began flowing from the Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Kamchatka peninsula. "A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions," the academy wrote in a post to Telegram.
The column of ash released by the eruption rose three kilometers above sea level. The eruption had been predicted by scientists for several weeks.
The eruption began several hours following the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Russia’s far east early Wednesday. The quake, centered off the Kamchatka Peninsula, caused damage in nearby Russian towns, with reports of power outages, evacuations, and buildings shaking in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The earthquake caused tsunami warnings to be issued on many Pacific coastlines, including Russia, Japan, New Zealand, and California. Large waves approaching six feet in height were recorded in Hawaii, while California saw waves of 3.6 feet.
The earthquake was the most powerful the world has seen for 14 years and the sixth most powerful ever recorded.