The Plosky Tolbachik Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting on November 27. The volcano is spewing lava from two fissures along its southern slope, according to volcanologists who inspected the mountain by helicopter. The Tolbachik Volcano consists of the Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik and the Ostry (Sharp) Tolbachik volcanoes towering 3,085 and 3,682 meters (10,119 and 12,077 feet) above sea level.
The Plosky Tolbachik Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting on November 27. The volcano is spewing lava from two fissures along its southern slope, according to volcanologists who inspected the mountain by helicopter. The Tolbachik Volcano consists of the Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik and the Ostry (Sharp) Tolbachik volcanoes towering 3,085 and 3,682 meters (10,119 and 12,077 feet) above sea level.
The last eruption of the Tolbachik Volcano, known as the "Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption," occurred in 1975. It was the first eruption that Russian scientists predicted with absolute accuracy.
The eruption laid waste to an area stretching for miles and altered the local topography.
On December 4, officials at the Volcanoes of Kamchatka nature park reported a forest fire caused by lava flows near the volcano.
Previously, lava flows spewing from the volcano destroyed buildings at two research bases located six miles from the enormous mountain. Volcanic ash fell in nearby communities.
Volcanic ash, particles of magma measuring about one-tenth of an inch across, has a complex chemical composition that can be poisonous to humans and animals. Ash clouds and plumes can also damage or disable aircraft equipment.
