Geosphere Journal Entry

Geosphere Journal Entry

Shiveluch Volcano Spits Ash Again (October 10, 2008)

Shiveluch volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula once again spat out thick columns of ash that rose nearly three miles (five km) high into the atmosphere. The eruption put pilots flying over the area on alert. Volcanic ash can clog jet engines and cause them to stall. Hot avalanches may have tumbled from the lava dome at the summit, according to Global Volcanism Program reports.

Shiveluch is the most active of the many volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The volcano has had at least sixty big eruptions over the past 10,000 years. The summit of the snow-capped volcano rises over 10,000 feet (3,200 meters) above sea level.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is known as the Land of Volcanoes and Geysers because it's the site of much geothermal activity. The peninsula sits at the edge of the North American plate where the Pacific plate subducts or dives under it.

Crust from the subducting plate melts deep below the surface to form magma. Eventually, the magma rises to the surface through its many volcanoes. These form part of the Ring of Fire, the huge arc of volcanoes along subduction zones surrounding the Pacific Ocean.