Kamchatka's volcanoes have never been bloodthirsty:
the natives of Kamchatka can hardly recall eruptions
that carried death there. A dark silhouette of volcano
against the clean dawning skies does not imply a threat
- it is usually a token of nice weather for the people
of Kamchatka. It is still hard, however, living in
such proximity to the volcanoes, to get used to the
idea that they are just some geological objects. The
silence alongside the volcanoes is of a special sort,
the one that fills the soul with an incomprehensible
combination of anxiety and peace. Everything looks
strange and unusual; you are gazing around as if perceiving
a scrutinizing glance of another universe: you feel
scared and at the same time happy, for this scrutinizing
glance makes you feel someone's unbound power spreading
over you - perhaps that sole true power you want to
surrender to:
Which of Kamchatka's volcanoes is the most beautiful?
There is not an unargued leader, but one can certainly
name the first three - though, as it goes, there are
few objective criteria to assess beauty - nevertherless,
the three volcanoes are Kluchevskoy, Koryaksky and
Kronotsky. All the three can be good candidates to
symbolize volcanic Kamchatka due to their total assets.
The feature of Kluchevskoy, its height, (the absolute
heights of the volcanoes are 4,750m, 3,456m and 3,528m
respectively), is not as significant as it looks as
the first glance. The greatest Eurasian volcano has
made nearly 5 kilometers of height due to the fact
that it was formed on a specific geological "pedestal",
a slope of ancient volcano while the actual height
(a relative one) is 3,000m, i.e. less than the height
of Koryaksky (3,300m) or Kronotsky (3,100).
Considering the shape of a volcano's cone or "marquee"
as it was figuratively called in Krasheninnikov's
times, a lot of people with no doubts would prefer
the one of the Kronotsky volcano. The geometrically
regular, ribbed cone crowned with an icy hat looks
in the waters of the biggest Kamchatka's lake. In
its beauty and majesty the Koryaksky volcano does
not yield to its two "brothers". It forms
a magnificent ensemble together with the Avachinsky
volcano, an integral part of the panorama of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
So, a lot of natives of the city have almost relative
feelings towards it. On the other hand, each of Kamchatka's
volcanoes has the beauty of its own. There are over
300 of them on the peninsula, among which 29 are still
active.
Uzon Caldera
Uzon Caldera (this is a term to specify a ring-like
hollow) developed 40 thousand years ago on the site
of a huge volcano destroyed by a set of bursting eruptions.
The last cataclysm inside the kaldera (8,500 years
ago) left its trace as a blasting crater about one
kilometer in diameter. The following centuries of
intensive hydro-thermal activity have developed a
unique symbiosis of volcanoes and wildlife in Uzon.
Being a part of the Kronotsky Zapovednik, it is registered
as a natural site specially cared for.
The Caldera is about 10 km in diameter, and inside
it, behind steep walls, there is a complete "museum"
collection of everything that Kamchatka is famous
for: hot sources and cold rivers, poisonous mud cauldrons
and pure lakes full of fish, a berry tundra and a
birch forest, mountains and bogs, animals and birds.
Geologists and botanists, geochemists and microbiologists,
zoologists and volcanologists, i.e. the scientists
of various specialisations, strive to get to Uzon.
There in hot sources natural minerals are born as
if in a laboratory retort; incredible algae and bacteria
live in the burning solution for whom the poisonous
boiling water is the most desirable environment; enormous
bears in overalls of steam wander on Uzon's paste;
swans roll-call in warm small lakes.
There is hardly another place on Earth where autumn
beauty as bright as it were short. Uzon in autumn
is unforgettable: the tundra is vigorously scarlet,
Erman's birches sparkle with gold, steamy pillars
are going up into blue skies like the smoke of sacrificial
fires. Quiet music sounds in birch forests in the
morning: these are hoar-frosted leaves falling with
a jingle. With the first gusts of autumn storms, however,
the leaves fall down, the tundra fades with the frosts,
and only mud cauldrons keep boiling colorful paste.
Kluchevskoy Volcano
Kluchevskoy
is the biggest alive volcano in Eurasia - 4,750m over
the sea level. It has a perfect, incredibly beautiful
cone. Together with Kamen (Stone), Bezymyanny (Unnamed),
Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik it forms the Kluchevskaya
group of volcanoes. The volcano is about 8,000 years
old. The first registered eruption was in 1697. It
was registered during the famous travel of Vladimir
Atlasov, a Kamchatka explorer. In average, the eruptions
took place every five years, at certain time periods
they happened annually, and sometimes there were continuos
eruptions lasting for a number of years. However,
they have never imposed a severe danger upon the inhabitants
of Kluchi, a town 30 km away grom the volcano. The
eruptions are accompanied with explosions, the throw-outs
of gas and ashes and ash falls. The most powerful
eruptions of the Kluchevakaya, like those in 1944-45,
came out from the major central crater, but the volcano's
activity is also characterized by "parasite"
craters 60-200m tall that stand 8-25 km away from
the major one.
The first ascent to the top of the volcano was executed
by a mountain guide, Daniel Gaus, in 1788. Since then
plenty of dare-devils went up to the crater of Kluchevskov.
Karymsky Volcano
This is a relatively short (1,486 m) and young (6,100years
old) volcano, the most active one in Kamchatka. There
have been 23 eruptions in this century only, the latest
one started in 1996 and was going on for two years
gradually fading. The eruptions of Karymsky are accompanied
with bursts and throw-outs of ash and bombs going
out from the central crater, with lava effusing. As
a rule, the lava of Karymsky are so glutinous that
the flaming torrents do not always reach the foot
of the volcano. The latest eruption of Karymsky volcano
would have been like any other one, but it was different
coinciding with an under-water eruption in the Karymsky
lake that is 6 km away from the volcano. It lasted
not more than 18-20 hours, but that short period included
over 100 under-water bursts each accompanied with
waves tsunami 15 meters high. The lake was actually
boiling. The temperature went up rapidly, and salt
and acid components reached the concentration that
killed all the life in the lake including the school
of "kokani", a lake species of sock-eye
salmon cultivated by ichthyologists in the Karymsky
lake. As a result of this eruption, the Karymsky lake
that used to be ultra-fresh turned into the biggest
natural reservoir of acid water in the world.
Maly Semyachek Volcano
It is a volcanic mountain range 3 km long with 3
craters on its crest. In its southern crater (the
crater of Troitski), there is an unusual acid lake
in the depth of 170m. The temperature in this opaque,
sometimes turquoise sometimes green lake, ranges from
+27`C to +42`C while the level of mineralization is
equal to an average concentration of sulphate and
hydrochloric acids. The size of the lake amazes: it
is about half kilometer wide and is 140m deep.
It is assumed that the acid lake developed quite recently.
The hypothesis says that it was the result of eruption
unnoticeable for people. Anyway, today Maly Semyachek
is one of Kamchatka's natural wonders, and those who
managed to reach its foot should climb to the edge
of the crater. The view opening to your eyes is unforgettable:
a 200 m gap of the crater, the smoking green lake,
the wild play of colours on the walls inside. Then
the weather is clear and windy, you can descend into
the crater. You can stay on the slate-black beach
to enjoy a poisonous emerald surf and water-spouts
araising over the lake's surface. The coastal breeze
that causes cough will make you leave the abode of
underground "spirits" soon.
Gorely volcano
Gorely volcano is like chain from 11th craters, laying
one by one, with lakes, fumaroles, and also a great
number (about 40) of secondary slag cones with lava
torrents; in expose parts of ancient construction
you can clearly study the process of transformation
of volcano products, in particular, transformation
of crumbly pumice. Gorely is great geologist object.
Avachinski
volcano
Avachinski volcano is active and nice-structured
as Somma-Vezuvi, with perfect cone (2751 altitude).
At the top of cone was crater 350 m. In diameter and
220 m. In depth, but in 1991 in process of eruption,
crater was filled with Lava, and now at different
places is active fumaroles, which deposits sulphur.
Koryak volcano
Koryak is stratospheric volcano with perfect rib
cone (3456 m. Altitude). >From the powerful circus
at the top and others places descend glaciers. Almost
at the top part along the cracks steamly fumaroles,
and in the crater is warm plates. Rocks at those places
are changed to coloured clay with abundant deposit
of sulphur, gyps, amonia etc.
Dzenzurski volcano
Dzenzurski is demolish volcanic massif with crater
as glacier. At south-east part of volcano is fumarolic
boiler (5m. X 20 m.) and full of melted water. At
the ages and on the bottom of boiler arc active fumaroles,
because of them the temperature of water is 85-90'C.
About 40% of water is minerals. Walls of boiler are
from coloured clay.
Viluchinski volcano
Viluchinski volcano is on the south-west part from
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, behind Avacha bay. Volcano
is not active, has perfect cone (2175 m. altitude).
Top of it has different rocks divided by ice. Lava
and pyroclastic, changed to coloured, because of activity
of fumaroles. Slopes of volcano are radical going
down from the top, but some of them starts from the
middle. Upper section at the north-west slope is full
of ice. Structure of volcano is lava and pyroclistic
of mineral structure. At the foundation of volcano
is acid rocks, and at south-east part are hot springs.
Tolbachic volcano
Ostriy Tolbachic volcano is stratospheric volcano,
has sharp (pointed) icely top. It's altitude is 3682
m. South-East part of the top is large open destroyed
circus. Low part covered with ice, which extend to
the west part of Ploski Tolbachik. Glacier of Shmidt
starts from that circus, and goes down to the south
slopes of volcano. West slopes of volcano is destroyed
and covered with different ledges. Those ledges looks
like teeth-walls, whimsical castles etc. Their high
is changing from 3 m. till 20-30 m. It is interesting
for scientists and for tourists. This volcano is not
active, maybe it was active with Ploski Tolbachic
volcano in parallel.
Ksudatch volcano
The shape of volcano is truncated cone with foot
18 x 22 km. Ksudatch has several calderas with crater
lakes. The height of volcano is 1000 m. above sea
level.
Ksudatch volcano was formed at the end of early Pleistocene
and previously was 2000 m. high. Its activity arose
rhythmically this fact explains the presence of several
calderas and volcanic cones of different ages.
On extrusions Paryashchi Utyos and Paryashchi Greben
one can see vapor and gas spurts of temperature 800-900C
concentrated closely in one area. Spurts have a high
concentration of CO2. Thermal springs are located
on the coasts of lake Klyutchevoye and lake Shtyubelya.
Shtyubelya springs form 200 meters long hot beach
of sand and pumice. Water temperature is 300-700C.
Colonies of thermophilic algae can be seen on the
surface of the lake.
Alder bushes, tundra and meadows, slag slopes in combination
with laces and crater cones create unusual beauty.
River Tyoplaya flows down from caldera and forms waterfall.
Ksudatch is one of the most exotic objects in Kamchatka.
It is declared as a Nature's memorial of landscape
and geological value.
Mutnovski volcano
Mutnovski
volcano is a compound volcanic massif of height 2323
m. above sea level. It has numerous and various fumarolic
fields where one can see all different forms of modern
gas-hydro-thermal activity with magnificent structures
of volcanic sulfur of 2,5 m. high and 5 m. in diameter.
Some of these structures contains rare minerals, such
as markazite and metacinnabarite. Not far from active
craters, glaciers and lakes thermal springs are located.
The most impressive of them are Severo-Mutnovskiye
and Datchnye with vapor-gas spurts, boiling muds,
hot lakes and heated bogs.
River Vulkannaya flows down from the crater of volcano
forms 80 meters-high waterfall and deep canyon Opasny.
All this specific features make Mutnovski volcano
unique and allow to put it in a line with the most
outstanding thermal fields of the world.
Hardened Lava.
The eruption ends up, and everything that has been
thrown out from the volcano's crater, i.e. glutinous
immobile lava, ash as fine as flour, is left on the
ground surface. Actually this is new ground born in
the fire pains:
The appearance and features of volcano rocks depend
on the chemical components that magma comprises and
then on the environment conditions. Lava with a relatively
small quantity of silica are more unstable. In the
process of hardening they form basalt, the most widespread
rock in Kamchatka. Syrupy glutinous lava comprise
more silica, and when cooled, andesites and dacites
are formed. With a big concentration of silica, lava
can harden generating volcano glass, obsidian.
A young stream of lava often forms a nearly insuperable
bulk of slate-black boulders. At a distance it looks
like a dragon falling down to the ground. At a closer
glance the oppressing impression is getting stronger:
an endless black wall, bare boulders piling up in
stores with tiny knobs of lichen here and there on
the surface. This unpretentious unremarkable lichen
is the first label of ever-winning life. Centuries
will pass, winds and rains will flaten the sharp facets,
the ashes of new eruptions will cover angular, and
finally the ugly "monster" will turn into
another long, gently sloping range.
First the ground scorched by eruptions is rehabilitated
by moss and lichen, then some shy grass, a dwarf willow,
berries come up. When tundra covers the ash, animals
will come back, too. Black-hatted marmots settle down
in the old lava streams. These funny creatures like
coming up onto the remnants of high boulders both
to enjoy the sun and to observe the surroundings.
Unfortunately, the marmots' colonies disappear in
Kamchatka.
Pumice and Tufa.
There are plenty of spots in Kamchatka where the
multi-meter thick of pumice is discovered. Pumice-stone
is a volcano rock generated when the magma fuse comprising
dissolved water rather quickly reaches the ground
surface. On the surface the pressure falls down, and
water immediately turns into steam foaming the still
hot magma. Thus the pumice stone is formed. However,
if the lava is over-saturated with water, the steam
bursts it up into the sand, ash and small fragments
called "lapilli". In a course of time all
the stuff is condensed, "concreted", and
as a result, a new, quite hard rock forms - a volcanic
tufa.
The pumice baring is a witness of the powerful destructive
eruptions of the past. The most impressive pumice
cliffs are located in the south of Kamchatka, round
the Kurilskoye lake. There, on the shore of the Ozernaya
river, the famous "Kutkhiny Baty", "obelisks"
made of pumice and resembling upstanding gigantic
boats, are placed. As an ltelmen's legend says, Kutkhu
- the Lord and the Creator of Kamchatka - before he
left the peninsula, lived at the Kurilskoye lake for
some time and went fishing on the lake or to the sea
in these boats. Leaving Kamchatka, Kutkhu stood his
boats ("Baty") up, and since then the place
has been considered sacred among the Kamchadals.
The Colour of Ground.
The eruption ended, a lot of volcanoes get quiet
for years turning to the stage of fumarole activity.
A fumarole is a gas stream having exclusively high
temperature of 300-500`C or even 800`C. Jets of steam
and gas of lower temperatures are called solfataras.
The majority of Kamchatka's active volcanoes are in
fumarole and solfatara phases of activity. Fumaroles
including besides water steam hydrogen sulphide, sulphurous
and carbonic gases change mountain rocks unrecognizably.
The acid rivers enriched by iron and aluminum flow
on the surface, the crystallized sulphur sediments
appear on the stones, in some places such metals as
zinc , lead, arsenic and mercury are accumulated developing
into ore deposits. A volcano is a sort of gigantic
retort where, under the mysterious laws of nature,
the chemicals are mixed, heated and enter into a reaction.
Small Mud Volcanoes and Mud Cauldrons.
Mud cauldrons and small mud volcanoes are little
miracles of Kamchatka. You can see them in different
regions, but in caldera Uzon and the Valley of Geysers
they are the most prolific. Though examining them
requires a lit of caution. It is much more terrible
to get into boiling paste than just to get boiled:
paste is no boiling water, it cools down slowly and
can't be washed off at once. One can't help marvelling
and envying at the sight of bears dashingly crossing
steaming thermal sites.
Small mud volcanoes perform almost in the same way
as the real ones do: they smoke and "erupt",
but their "volcanic activity" stars only
after rains, while in dry hot weather the small volcanoes
"fall asleep".
Geyserit.
Geserit is a mineral (silica included in the group
of base opals) that is crystallized from hot water
mainly round the geysers and is very rich in shapes
and colours. |