Volcanoes of Kamchatka

The Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the amazing places of our country, here the taiga, tundra and alpine meadows coexist with each other, and the grasses grow above the height of a person. The pristine nature of this region can leave few indifferent, these regions are famous for their clean lakes, peculiar flora and fauna and, of course, volcanoes. In Kamchatka, there are more than three hundred of them, and 29 of them are active.

 

Perhaps the most impressive of the fire-breathing giants of the peninsula is Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the greatest volcano in Europe and Asia. Its height is 4750 meters, and in shape it is a very beautiful, almost perfect cone. What is especially remarkable, Klyuchevskaya Sopka is an active volcano, the first eruption was recorded in 1697, and on average they took place with a frequency of five years. However, it happened that the mountain resembled itself with explosions and gas and ash emissions annually, however, this never posed a serious danger to the nearby city of Keys. The last time the activity of Klyuchevskaya Sopka was recorded two years ago, and before that the giant reminded itself in 2005, and during this eruption, volcanic bombs of ten-meter diameter soared to a height of one kilometer, and the mountain itself “sank” by fifty meters.

 

In the center of the eastern volcanic belt of Kamchatka is the Karymsky volcano. This is not at all such a giant as Klyuchevskaya Sopka - the height of Karymsky "only" 1486 m, but he differs much more "cool" disposition. In terms of activity, Karymsky is the undisputed leader among the fiery mountains of the region. Over the past century, it has been marked by 23 eruptions, accompanied by explosions, powerful emissions of ash and stone bombs from the central crater. Many of the eruptions lasted for years. The last time, in 1996, along with the awakened volcano disaster occurred in the nearby Karym Lake, where there were more than a hundred underwater explosions, accompanied by fifteen-meter tsunami waves and a deadly increase in acids and salts in the water. As a result, their content increased so much that all the lake life died, and the reservoir turned into a lake with acidic water - the largest natural reservoir of this type in the world.

 

As part of the Karym group, there is another miracle - the Small Semyachik volcano. This is not even one mountain, but a three-kilometer ridge, where there are three craters at once. About twenty thousand years ago there was a volcano with a diameter of twenty kilometers, which for millennia collapsed, forming as a result of explosions and failures an array with three cones. Small Semyachik is famous for its acid lake, which is located in the Troitsky crater. The water in it is light green - this is due to the smallest particles of sulfur, which were carried by underwater sources of hot gases - fumaroles. It is noteworthy that there is a very high level of mineralization, the waters of the lake are actually a solution of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, the temperature of which sometimes reaches 60 ° C. The Troitsky crater itself arose from a powerful explosion about 400 years ago, but when the green lake appeared is unclear. It is believed that it was born due to a recent eruption, which for humans passed completely unnoticed.

 

Unnamed for many years was an unremarkable hill, which even had no name because of its expressionlessness, considered an extinct volcano. But its eruption in 1955 was one of the most powerful volcanic disasters of the twentieth century. First, clouds of white smoke were seen over the mountain, then ash began to fall around, and the sultan of volcanic emissions over the mountain reached eight kilometers - giant lightning was visible in this huge cloud at night. Finally, on March 30, 1956, came the denouement. A huge explosion raised the ash cloud to a height of 40 km, ash began, filling the area with a length of 400 km. As a result, the height of the volcano decreased by almost 200 meters, and a crater of one and a half kilometers by two appeared on the site of the cone-shaped summit. But due to the fact that the eruption took place in a deserted area, no one was injured during it. In fact, the turbulent history of this volcano and brought it to the list of the most prominent places in Kamchatka, unrecognisably changing the terrain as a result of the disaster of the 50s.

 

Speaking about the beauty of the region, it is impossible not to remember the Uzon caldera and the Valley of Geysers. Caldera Uzon is an annular dip with a diameter of about ten kilometers, which is located in the central part of the eastern volcanic belt of Kamchatka. There are hot springs, poisonous mud boilers, as well as transparent lakes and rivers rich in fish. A lot of mud volcanoes, acting as “real”, however, they wake up only after rain, but immediately begin to smoke and even “erupt”. The Valley of Geysers is even more interesting, it is the only large geyser field in Eurasia. You can find it in the Kronotsky Reserve, and all geysers in the valley are different from each other, many even have their own names. So the triple geyser is distinguished by a grayish-brown color of geyserite, the large is the highest, and the small is the most active. Stretching for five kilometers along the local river Geysernaya, they let fountains in different intervals of time, some of them explode with jets of water and steam every ten minutes, and others only a couple of times a day.

 

Talk about the natural beauties of Kamchatka, of course, can be endless. Pure rivers, untouched forests and the symbol of the peninsula - majestic fire-breathing giants create here a unique atmosphere of calm, combined with a feeling of some quiet tension. After all, somewhere in the depths of the local lands, a fiery whirlpool is lazily spinning, whose incredible power is absolutely beyond the control of man and is ready to break free with a crimson cloud at any moment, sweeping away everything in its path. While she sleeps peacefully, we can enjoy the fruits of her wrath: the incredible views of the Kamchatka mountains and the wildlife of the country of volcanoes - so beautiful and so unpredictable.

 

Author: Anton Gataulin