Volcanic bombs are hurled to a height of more than 800 meters.
Continuously rolling down the western slope of the volcano is a lava flow with a temperature of about 1,100 degrees. The extreme difference between temperatures when the lava interacts with the ice and snow causes the magmatic material to explode heavily and produce lots of ash. Eruptions from explosions rise as high as eight kilometers.
In the scientist's view, the cause of the growing intensity of such explosions is the increased volume of lava over the past two days. In this connection, the lava flow has broadened and is claiming fresh portions of the Erman glacier it has melted.
Ozerov noted that there is now a high probability of massive mud flows rushing down the slopes of the volcano, which usually have a frontage of up to 500 meters and pass east of the village of Klyuchi, situated 30 kilometers from the volcano's foothills.
Mud streams carrying at high speed stone rocks up to three meters in diameter and tree trunks represent a serious danger for people and equipment. The population has been warned of the possible menace.
Located between Shiveluch and Klyuchevskoi - two giants in the stage of active eruption - is the village of Klyuchi. Volcanic ash periodically rains on the village, but at present nothing threatens its population.
At the same time, in the scientist's opinion, there remains a danger for aviation in connection with ash emissions from the craters of the two volcanoes. If particles of volcanic ash, whose diameter may be two millimeters, get into aircraft turbines, they may disable the engines.
The eruption of Klyuchevskoi, which is 4,822 meters high, began on January 17. Eruptions from the volcano's crown crater may last between one month and several years.
