Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russia

Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russia

    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 Uzon 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. 
 

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.  
 

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 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.  
 

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.  
 

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.  

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.