The Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth. Located in Russia’s Far East region, the peninsula forms the northwestern edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. At least 114 Kamchatkan volcanoes have erupted in the past 12,000 years. According to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) 4 of these volcanoes—Shiveluch, Klyuchevskaya, Bezymianny, and Karymsky—are erupting currently.
This natural-color satellite image shows the 4 active volcanoes on April 2, 2010. Gray and brown ash covers the white snow near Shiveluch, Klyuchevskaya, and Karymsky. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired the image.
References & Resources
- KVERT. (2010, April 1). Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Global Volcanism Program. (n.d.). Volcanoes of Kamchatka and Mainland Asia. Accessed April 5, 2010.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Robert Simmon.
