Russian volcano grows ‘devil horns’ and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke — Earth from space
Rapid facts
Where is it? Klyuchevskoy (Klyuchevskaya Sopka), Russia [56.050698, 160.6463962]
What is in the photo? A giant eruption plume dragging an eruption volcano
Which satellite took the photo? NASA Aqua
When was it taken? November 1, 2023
This strange satellite photo shows a “diabolical” Russian volcano spit a river of smoke 1,000 miles long in the earth’s atmosphere. It is a striking reminder of volcanic power trapped in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The volcano, known as Klyuchevskoy (or sometimes Klyuchevskaya Sopka), is an active stratovolcano in the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, which houses more than 300 volcanoes. The peak of Klyuchevskoy amounts to 15,597 feet (4,754 meters) above sea level, which makes it larger than any other volcano in Asia or Europe, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global volcanism program.
The satellite image was taken by the Aqua satellite of NASA during a particularly active point of an eruptive phase, which lasted between June 22 and December 31, 2023. The sudden burst of the liberated activity of twin lava flows, in the form of the pair of horns, and a giant plume of smoke, ash and toxic gas which temporarily finished the air traffic in the region.
The eruption plume reached a maximum height of 7.5 miles (12 km) above the surface of the earth and extended to more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) through the Pacific Ocean, according to Observatory of the Terre de la Nasa.
The satellite snap presented above is a false color image. Lave flows have been improved using infrared radiation to make them visible, while the clouds surrounding the volcano have received a bluish hue to distinguish them from the eruption plume.
In relation: See all the best images of the land of space
Klyuchevskoy is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kamchatka peninsula. He has experienced at least 18 different eruptive phases since the beginning of the 21st century and has exploded his top more than 60 times in the past 100 years, according to the World Volcanism Program.
The most recent eruptive phase of the high mountain started in April 2025 and is still underway, although volcanic activity has decreased in May.
Klyuchevskoy is closely flanked by Bezymianny, a smaller volcano standing about 9,900 feet (3,000 m) in height. The neighboring mountain is less active than Klyuchevskoy and was previously supposed to be extinguished until an eruption in 1955. It has since exploded several times.
Four other volcanoes – Ushkovsky, Tolbachik, Zimina and Udina – are located within a 20 -mile (32 km) radius from Klyuchevskoy. All these mountains, including Klyuchevskoy and Bezymianny, have formed in the past 10,000 years, which is relatively young for volcanoes.
The Kamchatka peninsula is a hotspot for volcanoes due to its position along the fire ring – an arc about 25,000 miles long (40,000 km) surrounding large parts of the Pacific Ocean basin, where tectonic plates cross. This giant ring, which also takes place under Indonesia, Japan and Tonga, contains about two -thirds of the world’s terrestrial volcanoes and is the site of around 90% of all earthquakes.
