The Ivan Grozny (“Ivan the Terrible”) volcano started erupting last week, on Iturup, one of the Kuril islands in Russia's Far East.

      The first signs of the impending eruption were registered on Wednesday , when gas emissions on the volcano’s northeast slope increased.

      The volcano spewed a column of ash onto the surrounding area. Local people in the nearest towns, Goryachiye Klyuchi (9 kilometers away) and the city of Kurilsk (25 kilometers), noticed a faint smell of hydrogen sulfide gas, which disappeared later.

      Scientists say there is no danger for nearby human settlements. Observation of the volcano is under way.

      The Ivan Grozny volcano also erupted in 1968, 1973, and 1989, but none of the eruptions threatened life nearby.