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Impressions of Geological Features, Nature, and Life in Kamchatka Report on an Excursion Conducted in August 2014

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Impressions of Geological Features, Nature, and Life in Kamchatka Report on an Excursion Conducted in August 2014 Impressions of geological features, nature, and life in Kamchatka Report on an excursion conducted in August 2014 PHILIPP SCHMIDT-THOMÉ southern tip of the peninsula we were able to observe dozens of bears fishing salmon (Fig. AND MICHAEL STAUDT 2). This trip brought us also to the Ksudach caldera, where we were able to enjoy a bath in he southern part of the Kamchatka a hot spring. Peninsula has a very high density The other helicopter excursion took us to of active volcanoes (Fig. 1). We a close flyby of the Karysmky and Maly have a long-standing interest in Semyachik volcanoes. The former experiences this remarkable place, not only daily eruptions, while the crater of the latter Tdue to its fascinating geology, but also due to bathes in acidic, stunning turquoise water. The its wild nature and interesting historical past. excursion included hikes in the “Valley of the Philipp Schmidt-Thomé conducted a privately Geysers” (Fig. 3), in the enormous Uzon organized excursion to Kamchatka in August Caldera, and in beautiful alpine meadows, also 2014. The journey had a strong focus on allowing us to bathe in hot springs and in a geological features and the nature, but also on cold stream. socio-economic structure and historical The hiking tour to climb the Gorely background of the area. This article describes volcano was challenging due to the visibility the sites visited during the excursion and puts at the summit of less than 10 meters. Our stay the trip into a geological and geographical at the base camp at the foot of the Avachinsky context. Kamchatka is definitely worth visiting volcano (Fig. 4) was followed by a hike over a for a dedicated geoscientist, and this article basalt extrusion called the Camel. The ascent hopefully sparks some interest. to the Avachinsky crater also proved difficult During the ten-day trip we hiked on four due to the weather conditions characterized days, were aboard two helicopter flights and by a very low visibility. one boat trip, and sojourned at a Pacific beach During a boat trip in the Avacha Bay we and in the city of Petropavlovsk. could observe several bird species as well as Hiking up a glacier valley we encountered whales. We also saw nuclear submarines two roaming bears searching for food – and waiting for maintenance. The participants of were luckily able to evade them. During the the boat trip were handed fishing rods and we helicopter excursion to the Kuril Lake at the caught some sea perches, out of which a 44 GEOLOGI 67 (2015) Figure 1. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) map of Kamchatka and the main locations discussed in the text. Data source: Jarvis et al. (2008). © M. Staudt and P. Schmidt-Thomé, GTK. Kuva 1. Kamchatkan korkeusmallikartta (DEM) ja tekstissä käsitellyt kohteet. Aineistolähde: Jarvis et al. (2008) © M. Staudt and P. Schmidt- Thomé, GTK. Planning excursions The long political isolation of Kamchatka and recent engagements in improving the environmental protection of the flora, fauna, traditional Russian fish soup (ukha) was and volcanoes make the peninsula a nearly cooked on board. idyllic place – from an eco- (or geo-) tourism On the last day we visited a Pacific beach point of view. There are vast areas of virtually and, as a really nice surprise for us, we were untouched landscapes and a high abundance invited by the cook who had accompanied us of plant and animal species – and volcanoes on so many excursions to prepare Kamchatka which dominate the scenery. Kamchatka is on crab and “shashlyk” at her “datcha”, Russian the UNESCO’s World heritage list, described for summer cottage. as “one of the most outstanding volcanic GEOLOGI 67 (2015) 45 Geologi_2_2015_painoon.pmd 45 24.3.2015, 17:29 Figure 2. Bears fishing in the Kuril Lake caldera in front of the Ilyinsky volcano. Photo: P. Schmidt-Thomé. Kuva 2. Karhuja kalastamssa Kuril-järven kalderassa. Taustalla Ilinski-tulivuori. Kuva: P. Schmidt-Thomé. 46 GEOLOGI 67 (2015) regions in the world” (UNESCO 2015). Currently around 7000 tourists visit Kamchatka annually, most of which are from Russia, followed by Western countries like Japan, Germany, and USA. Fishing is one of the most important tourist activities. Eco-tourism, e.g., hiking and trekking, is on the increase. Most of the tourists visit during the short summer; winter tourism (e.g. heli-skiing) plays a minor role. Conducting excursions in Kamchatka is highly weather-dependent, as conditions can change frequently throughout the day. It is highly recommended to get a guide for the excursions and hikes. As an example, several possibilities exist to access the craters and the peaks of the volcanoes, but not all paths lead to the desired destination. Quick changes in the weather and visibility can make orientation challenging. The abundance of bears must also be taken into account: several persons get killed every year. The official local guides are well- trained and have to pass annual examinations. As a general guideline, it is recommended to make an excursion plan with an agency that is familiar with the local conditions. August is probably the best month for hiking and trekking in Kamchatka, as by then the snow has melted on most paths and nearly all points of interest are accessible. Furthermore, a relatively stable high-pressure zone and thus relatively sunny conditions can be expected in the late summer. Several easily accessible volcanoes are located close to Petropavlovsk, and can be reached and hiked as day trips, i.e., Avachinsky, Gorely, and Mutnovsky (Fig. 5). No special equipment is needed for these day hikes, besides the obvious such as hiking boots, water-proof and warm clothing, a hat and gloves. Typically the guide is accompanied by a driver and/or a cook. Food packages, water, and other necessities are carried along and prepared during the day. There are also longer GEOLOGI 67 (2015) 47 Geography and geology Kamchatka is located in the Russian Far East and comprises an area of 472,000 km2, stretching over 1200 km. The peninsula is sparsely populated with approximately 320,000 inhabitants. The entire peninsula has a road network of 741 km, of which 200 km are paved. The main road connects Petropavlovsk through the central valley to the port of Ust- Kamchatsk. There is no road connection Figure 3. The Valley of the Geysers. Photo: P. Schmidt- to northern Kamchatka or to the Russian Thomé. mainland, making the peninsula accessible Kuva 3. “The Valley of the Geysers”, kuumien lähtei- only by sea or air. Settlements in northern den laakso. Kuva: P. Schmidt-Thomé. Kamchatka can be reached in winter via ice roads on frozen rivers, or by a dog overnight hiking excursions, where the sledge. For example, coal supply from local participants sleep in tents and the guides are mines for settlements in northern and central accompanied by porters that carry food and Kamchatka is only possible via winter roads. water. In cases where the excursions are up to The inadequacy, or absence, of road several weeks, helicopters carry food and water maintenance makes travelling time-consuming to predefined points of access. and challenging. Many places are not Due to the challenging infrastructure, connected by roads, and dry river valleys, or there are several options for helicopter simply “general directions” are used as routes. excursions that allow visiting more remote Many roads are not maintained even though areas. Helicopter trips usually last for one day they are under heavy use by mining and energy and include several scenic stops. Food and industries. Often the average driving speed water, as well as English-speaking guides, are remains lower than 30 km/h. normally provided. Even though helicopter The southern half of the peninsula is flights are not cheap, the experience is certainly located over a tectonically very active zone worth every penny. The helicopters do not where the Pacific plate is subducted under the have pressurized cabins and fly at an altitude Eurasian plate (Fig. 1) at an average speed of of approximately 1300 meters. Since several 8 mm/year. Volcanic cones from the Hawaii volcanoes are taller than that, the helicopters hot spot (the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount often fly low over passes and in between chain) reach Kamchatka, and the oldest > 81- volcanoes. The helicopter flights can be million-years-old cones have already been reserved in advance but are paid only on the subducted. The melting of the subducted plate day of the flight, because cancellation due to leads to the appearance of the typically weather conditions is not untypical. Therefore associated stratovolcanoes, but shield volcanoes the trip schedule should allow for certain are also found. Some stratovolcanoes have the flexibility, and planning for extra days of stay so-called Somma-Vesuvius form, i.e., with a is advisable. new cone formed within the crater of an older 48 GEOLOGI 67 (2015) eruption. The most prominent example of this explosivity index (VEI) of 5. The VEI was is the Avachinsky volcano. introduced to provide a relative measure of the Approximately 300 volcanoes are located explosiveness of volcanic eruptions for in the southern half of the peninsula, 30 of historical events and ranges from 0 to 8 (New- which are considered as active. Twenty-nine hall and Self 1982). The VEI describes the of the active volcanoes are located on a stretch amount of ejected volcanic material, eruption of approximately 500 km on the eastern coast, cloud height, and the duration of the eruption. the Sredinny range, which has the highest The scale is logarithmic for VEI > 2, so that a density of volcanoes on the Eurasian continent one-unit increase in VEI indicates an eruption and among the highest worldwide.
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