Kamchatsky, March 24, 2010, SPA -- A belching of ash to the altitude of seven kilometers above sea level has been registered over the crater of the Shiveluch, Kamchatka's northernmost active volcano, experts at the regional affiliation of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said. The exuding of ash does not pose any risks for nearby population centers, as no data on the fallout of volcanic dust there has been reported, according to Itar-Tass. The belching was not seen visually and scientists drew a conclusion that it had taken place on the basis of information from seismic observation stations located in the vicinity of the volcano. They registered “a surface seismic event at the volcano” having a four minutes' duration. The Shiveluch has the elevation of 3,283 meters and the highest point of its activity, the Young Shiveluch, is located at the elevation of 2,800 meters. The volcano's basis has a diameter of 45 kilometers to 50 kilometers. It occupies an area of no less than 1,300 sq kilometers. The Shiveluch is one of the biggest volcanic structures in the Kamchatkan volcano land. At this moment, the volcano displays weak or moderate eruption periods lasting from several months to two to three years. The periods of its activation were registered in 1980 to 1981 and 1993 to 1995.
