Volcano Journal Entry

Kamchatka Volcano Explodes (May 10, 2006)

Bezymianny volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted this week with a huge explosion. A thick cloud of smoke and ash rose about nine miles (fifteen kilometers) into the atmosphere. Rivers of fiery red lava flowed down the volcano's slopes.

The eruption wasn't any immediate danger to villages on the lightly-populated peninsula. But aircraft were advised to stay clear of the area. Volcanic ash can cause plane engines to fail.

Bezymianny is one of the most active of the 28 volcanoes on the central part of Kamchatka. The volcano was dormant until it woke up in 1955 with a sudden explosion. That eruption blew the top off the mountain and fomed a crater about a mile across.

The Kamchatka Peninsula lies in the region where the Pacific plate subducts or dives below the Eurasian plate. Crust from the subducting plate melts and forms magma as it sinks back into the mantle. The magma eventually makes its way to the surface through the peninsula's many volcanoes.