What led to this volcano erupting after 500 years of silence?

For the first time in more than 500 years, the Krasheninnikov Volcano in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted, throwing up a massive ash cloud that reached as high as 6km into the sky.

The eruption, which happened overnight, is now being linked by experts to the recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rattled the region just last week.

According to Russia’s emergency ministry, there is no immediate threat to people living nearby. But hours after the volcano came alive, another powerful earthquake, this time a 7.0 magnitude hit the Kuril Islands, forcing authorities to issue tsunami warnings across three coastal zones in Kamchatka.

Although the waves are expected to be low around 18cm officials have warned residents to stay away from shorelines.

Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, confirmed that this is the first known eruption of Krasheninnikov since the 15th century. She said the timing suggests the eruption may have been triggered by last week’s massive quake.

“This part of Russia sits on the Ring of Fire  and what we’re seeing is the kind of chain reaction experts have long feared,” Girina told state news agency RIA.

Photos published by RIA show a dramatic ash plume shooting into the sky, captured from helicopters hovering over the eruption site.

Last Wednesday’s 8.8 quake was one of the strongest ever recorded in the region, forcing mass evacuations and sparking tsunami alerts as far as Chile and French Polynesia.

Now, with a volcano awake and aftershocks still rattling the ground, experts warn that more activity could follow.