Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Volcano watchers will get the opportunity to observe Russia's Far East volcanoes in action online from September, the head of a local station said on Wednesday.
Two high-resolution cameras will be installed to monitor the eruptions of the Kluchevskoy, Bezymyanny (Unnamed) and Shiveluch volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The images will be updated every minute, Yury Demyanchuk said.
Currently, the station can monitor the volcano activity just once every few hours.
The Kluchevskoy and Bezymyanny are relatively calm, while their neighbor the 3,283-meter (10,771-foot) Shiveluch volcano is spewing ash up to a height of 4,000 - 6,000 meters.
Shiveluch last erupted in December 2006 and has been active ever since with the volcano churning out gas and ash up to 8,000 meters (26,000 feet).
According to specialists, the volcanic activity over the past two-three years has significantly altered the contour of the volcano with the crater increasing in size by 50% and the slopes becoming far steeper than previously.
The volcanic eruption poses no threat to Kamchatka settlements, although the clouds of volcanic ash are causing problems for air traffic.
