EARTHQUAKES struck today in a volatile region that saw TWO massive volcanic eruptions less than 24 hours ago.

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LINK:What’s erupting? List & map of currently active volcanoes

Article By: JON AUSTIN Source: express.co.uk

More than 1,200 people today remain evacuated from a 1.9-mile containment zone around Mount Egon in Kupang, eastern Indonesia, after toxic gas and volcanic ash erupted yesterday.

It was before officials in Russia had to cancel flights near the Zhupanovsky volcano on Russia’s eastern coast after it spewed lava FIVE MILES into the air, also yesterday.

Although the two volcanoes are separated by around 3,000 miles, they are on interconnected tectonic plates – sparking fears of a major seismic shift, more volcanic activity and even earthquakes and tsunamis, due to recent activity.

The Russian volcano is on the Phillippine Plate which joins the Java Trench, which Mount Egon lies close to.

The region is one of the most volcanic parts of the globe.

Indonesian officials are on standby to extend the evacuation area if necessary if the volcanic and seismic activity increases.

The area is known to be volatile and in the past 24 hours, just 400 miles north of Mount Egon, three earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.1 to 4.7 struck on other Indonesian islands.

Within a 400 mile radius of Mount Egon there are also 25 other volcanoes and five of them are said to be currently erupting, while there are ten other eruption warnings in place

The Russian explosion affected local air traffic, but the huge ash cloud is also drifting east over the Pacific Ocean so the impact on flights could be much wider.

There are fears seismic activity is also growing in the area around the Zhupanovsky volcano.

There were two small earthquakes before Tuesday’s big eruption and overnight another tow magnitude 1 shallow tremors occurred.

There are six other active volcanoes alomg a 200-mile portion of the coastline of the same Russian peninsula.

Three of these are currently classed as erupting, one has an eruption warning in place and the two others are experiencing some “unrest”.

In the last 24 hours, in an area around 1,200 miles away, but on the same Phillippine Plate, in Japan and surrounding seas there were SIX earthquakes measuring from magnitude 4.1 to 4.8.

In Asia, officials distributed thousands of gas masks to villagers around the volcano on eastern Flores island amid fears of a major eruption as the choking fumes worsened.

All residents living within the containment zone have been ordered to evacuate, while roads bringing traffic in have been closed.

Mount Egon is considered a very active volcano and is in the top ten of the potentially deadliest in the event of a major eruption.

More people living further from the volcano may have to also flee if the situation gets worse, disaster officials have warned.

In Russia, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in the Kamchatka area this week issued a “code orange” warning the Zhupanovsky volcano eruption was under way, and warning aircraft to avoid flying near the exploding peak.

Fortunately, the volcano is 42 miles from populated areas, and the emergency services said ash had yet to reach any homes.

A spokesman for the institute said: “On Tuesday at around 4.30pm [3.30 am GMT), the Zhupanovsky volcano spewed ash to the height of up to five miles above sea level.

Last autumn, Express.co.uk reported how tests were being carried out on the impact of volcanic ash getting into a jet engine, because the true effects are still not known despite the global chaos caused by the Icelandic ash clouds in 2010.

"The ash column could be seen with the naked eye from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and some other settlements. 

"At the moment, the ash cloud has spread 12 miles and it continues moving towards the ocean."

Zhupanovsky is one of the least studied volcanoes in the region despite its proximity to a large city. 

It is composed of four overlapping cones, the highest of which reaches 2,958 metres.

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