A volcano in Russia's far east erupted on Wednesday, Russian scientists said, hours after a major quake prompted evacuations and tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific coast.

Eruptions of the Klyuchevskoy volcano -- the highest active in Europe and Asia -- are quite common, with at least 18 of them happening since 2000, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.

"The Klyuchevskoy is erupting right now," Russia's Geophysical Survey said on Telegram, posting photos of an orange blaze on top of the 4,700 metre (15,000 feet) volcano.