Russian volcano erupts hours before earthquake shakes country’s coast

A volcano erupted in Russia hours before a magnitude 7 earthquake shook the ground near the country’s east coast, according to the United States Geological Survey.

On Saturday, the Shiveluch volcano, which is located on the eastern side of the country, erupted at 11:45 a.m. UTC, and caused an explosion of ash to shoot up 32,800 feet in the air, according to an email from the USGS to USA TODAY.

International flights and low-flying aircraft could possibly be affected by the eruption.

Ust-Kamchatsk, a village located on the eastern shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula, was coated in a layer of ash on Sunday from the volcanic eruption that occurred the day before, according to footage released by Russian state-run media Zvezda.

A hazard warning was placed due to the ash emission.

Magnitude 7 earthquake follows eruption

Hours later, at 7:10 p.m. UTC, the magnitude 7 earthquake occurred near the east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which is 280 miles away from the volcano. The fault where the quake occurred has frequent, moderate to large earthquakes, according to USGS’s website.

The quake triggered a tsunami warning that was lifted. There were no reports of major damage, reported CNN. But, buildings are being examined.

The volcano eruption began around eight hours before the earthquake, Matt Haney, Alaska Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge, told USA TODAY. He added that he believes the two events are believed to be unrelated.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz