Active volcanoes smoked. Underwater volcanic group "Paramushirskaya Volcanoes on the territory of the Kuril Islands

The Kuril Islands got their name from the people who inhabited them before the arrival of the Russians and Japanese. They called themselves Ainu. “Kuru” in the language of these people meant “man” and in meaning differed little from “Ainu”. Cossacks from the first Russian expeditions began to call them “Kurils” or “Kurilians”, and from here the name of the entire archipelago came from.

The word “kuru” turned out to be consonant with the Russian “to smoke” - after all, there is always smoke above the volcanoes, of which there are many in the Kuril Islands. However, we must remember that the word that gave the Kuril Islands their current name is not of Russian, but of Ainu origin.

The Kuril Islands are a chain of 56 islands, from Kamchatka to the island of Hokkaido, which includes two parallel ridges - the Greater and Lesser Kuril Islands. They separate the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from Pacific Ocean.

Waterfall Ilya Muromets

The waterfall, which has long been considered the highest in Russia, is located on the island of Iturup. The height of the “hero” is 141 meters - approximately the same as a 40-story building. The name of the epic hero was given to the waterfall in 1946 by members of the Sakhalin research expedition.

Alaid is the highest and northernmost volcano Kuril Islands. Its height is 2339 m. There is a legend that Alaid was previously located in the south of Kamchatka, but other mountains drove it out: due to the fact that it was the largest, the volcano obscured the light. Since then, Alaid has stood alone - on Atlasov Island in the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk. And on the Kuril Lake in Kamchatka there remains the island of the Heart of Alaid.

The most active volcano of the Kuril group is located on the island of Matua of the Great Kuril ridge. It received its name in honor of the Russian navigator and hydrographer Gabriel Sarychev. The height of the volcano is 1446 meters above sea level.

In the last century alone, the Sarychev volcano erupted seven times. One of the most powerful eruptions was recorded in 1946: then a flow of a mixture of volcanic gases, ash and stones reached the sea. The last time the volcano erupted was in 2009: this led to an increase in the area of ​​the island by 1.5 square kilometers.

Tyatya Volcano, located on the Kunashir Island of the Great Kuril Ridge, is considered one of the most beautiful on the planet. This is a “volcano within a volcano”, having an absolutely regular shape. Above the comb-shaped part ancient volcano the younger central cone protrudes. The height of Tyati, by the way, recognized as one of the seven wonders of Sakhalin, is 1819 meters. He's like Eiffel Tower in Paris: in clear weather the volcano can be seen from anywhere in Kunashir.

In 1973, a powerful volcanic eruption occurred, as a result of which ash settled within a radius of 80 kilometers. Because of this, the nearby large village of Tyatino was abandoned by people. The volcano is considered dangerous for aircraft: It is known that several helicopters crashed at its peak over the years. It is possible that the cause of the disasters were poisonous gases that unexpectedly periodically emit from the side crater.

Historical eruptions of Tyati occurred in 1812 and 1973. The volcano is still restless: there is little activity in the central crater.

Kurile Islands

If you look at the map of Russia, then in fact Far East, between Kamchatka and Japan you can see a chain of islands, which are the Kuril Islands. The archipelago forms two ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. The Great Kuril chain includes about 30 islands, as well as a large number of small islands and rocks. The Small Kuril ridge runs parallel to the Big one. It includes 6 small islands and many rocks. At the moment, all of the Kuril Islands are controlled by Russia and are part of its Sakhalin region; some of the islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. The Kuril Islands are administratively part of Sakhalin region. They are divided into three regions: North Kuril, Kuril and South Kuril.

The Kuril Islands are an area of ​​active volcanic activity. Marine terraces of different altitudes play a significant role in the formation of the islands' topography. Coastline replete with bays and capes, the shores are often rocky and steep, with narrow boulders and pebbles, less often sandy beaches. Volcanoes are located almost exclusively on the islands of the Great Kuril Ridge. Most of these islands are active or extinct volcanoes, and only the northernmost and southernmost islands are composed of sedimentary formations. Most of the volcanoes of the Kuril Islands arose directly on the seabed. The Kuril Islands themselves represent the peaks and ridges of a continuous mass hidden under water. mountain range. The Great Kuril Ridge is a wonderful visual example of the formation of a ridge on the earth's surface. There are 21 known active volcanoes on the Kuril Islands. The most active volcanoes of the Kuril ridge include Alaid, Sarychev Peak, Fuss, Snow and Milna. Decaying volcanoes, which are in the solfata stage of activity, are located mainly in the southern half of the Kuril ridge. On the Kuril Islands there are many extinct volcanoes Atsonupuri Aka Roko and others.

The climate of the Kuril Islands is moderately cold, monsoonal. It is determined by their location between two huge bodies of water - the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. average temperature February from - 5 to - 7 degrees C. The average temperature in August is from 10 degrees C. The features of the monsoon climate are more pronounced in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, which is more influenced by the Asian continent, which cools in winter, from where cold and dry westerly winds blow. Only the climate of the southernmost islands is affected by the warm Soya Current, which is fading here.

Significant amounts of precipitation and a high runoff coefficient favor the development of a dense network of small watercourses on the islands. In total there are more than 900 rivers. The mountainousness of the islands also determines the steep slope of the rivers and the high speed of their flow; There are frequent rapids and waterfalls in river beds. Lowland rivers are a rare exception. The rivers receive their main nutrition from rain; snow nutrition also plays a significant role, especially from snowfields located in the mountains. Only slowly flowing streams within the lowland areas are covered with ice each year. The water of many rivers is unsuitable for drinking due to high mineralization and high sulfur content. There are several dozen lakes of various origins on the islands. Some of them are associated with volcanic activity.

The Kuril Islands are the place where the End of the World is located, at least that’s what it’s called Cape on Shikotan. The mysterious archipelago contains many unusual things - this is the Udachny stream with quartz gold outcrops, the largest waterfall in Russia (140m) Ilya Muromets, and fire-breathing islands with volcanoes and geysers. The Kuril Islands are compared to a large arboretum, where you can visit various natural areas, and where stone birches, lianas, dwarf cedar and bamboo thickets coexist, exceeding the height of a person. Large colonies of birds, bears, sables and foxes, whales and dolphins, underwater inhabitants - seals, squids, crabs and starfish - all this can be seen while traveling around these pristine islands.

Thermal springs are attractive for travelers, volcanoes Alaid, Chikurachki, Fussa, Ebeko and others; A military history will reveal to you the secrets of his past from the time of the Kuril landing of 1945.

Great Kuril Ridge- one of two parallel groups of islands of the Kuril archipelago. The Krusenstern and Bussol straits divide it into three parts:

The northern group includes the islands of Paramushir, Onekotan, Shumshu, Lovushki, Atlasova, Shiashkotan and others;
-medium – Simushir, Ketoi, Rasshua, Matua, Ushishir and others;
-The southern group includes the islands Iturup, Kunashir, Urup.

The territory of the islands is unevenly populated and is uninhabited south of Paramushir Island and up to Iturup Island. Due to this tourist routes mainly run along the islands of the Northern and Southern Kuril Islands. The most popular are Iturup, Paramushir, Shikatan, Shumshu, Kunashir, Matua.

Northern Kuriles

Severo-Kurilsk – main city this group of islands. Until 1946, it was called Kashiwa-bora. The city is located on the shore of the 2nd Kuril Strait in the northeast of Paramushir Island. Its population numbers 2,400 inhabitants (data for 2007). The seining fleet is based here, there is a heliport, and the total length of roads is about 10 km.

The islands can only be reached by helicopter from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or on the PTR vessel. The main types of tourism include historical, educational and environmental. The remoteness of the islands is still an obstacle to mass tourism. However, thermal springs, routes through war zones, volcanoes and the unusual flora and fauna of the Kuril Islands are attractions that are attracting an increasing number of tourists.

The volcanoes of the Kuril Islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Ebeko Volcano (1156m). This active volcano is located on Paramushir Island, 7 km from Severo-Kurilsk. Being one of the most active on the Kuril Islands, it is interesting for the presence of several craters. On the southern part of the cone there is an active crater that appeared after the eruption in 1965. In the northern part, in the crater there is a small lake with greenish water. The Northern Crater, known from literature, was filled with slag and volcanic bombs during the last eruption. And another one - the central one - is filled with a lake, which is replenished with water from the snowfield. The lake was once hot, but later lost contact with underground heat sources. Climbing the Eubeko volcano, you can see a Japanese sulfur plant and many fumaroles. These are holes through which gases rise. Each fumarole is surrounded by intricate figures made of native sulfur. Among the large fumarole fields, the northeastern field stands out, known as the “Roaring Fumaroles” or “White Key”.

Alaid Volcano (2339m). This is the highest active volcano on the Kuril Islands. It is located on Atlasov Island, 70 km from Kamchatka and 30 km from Paramushir Island. According to legend, Alaid was previously located in the south of Kamchatka. But the other mountains drove him out, since he was the highest among them and blocked the light. Since then, the volcano-island has stood alone. The shape of the Alaid cone is more regular than Mount Fuji. Its peculiarity is the presence of 33 side cinder cones on the slopes and at the base. Intense fumarole activity takes place inside a young 250-meter cinder cone. Alaid is a double stratovolcano with a summit explosion crater with a diameter of 900-1300m and a depth of 200m.

Volcano Chikurachki (1816m) – highest point Paramurshira, located in the southwestern part of the island, 60 km from Severo-Kurilsk. It is the northernmost in the chain of volcanoes of the Karpinsky Range. Chikurachki is a stratovolcano standing on an ancient lava base, with a regular cone, the upper half of which is red. It is predominantly composed of pyroclastic deposits.

Fussa Volcano (1772m). This complex stratovolcano forms a peninsula in the southwestern part of Paramushir Island, 75 km from Severo-Kurilsk. It is a strongly truncated regular cone with a crater with a diameter of 700 m and a depth of up to 300 m. The crater has steep walls, vertical in places, and the bottom, divided into two unequal parts, is strewn with snowfields. The volcano offers a breathtaking view of the rocky outcrops of Mount Arkhangelsky and Belousov, the gentle slopes of the Karpinsky caldera and the saddle between the Lomonosov and Tatarinov volcanoes.

Shumshu and Matua Islands. These islands are especially interesting to visit from a historical and educational point of view. They are famous for the catacombs of the war years and the preserved fortifications, including numerous trenches, bunkers and rock holes where the personnel of the islands garrison were sheltered and guns were installed.

Southern Kuriles

The most easily accessible and interesting to visit in this part of the Kuril Islands are the islands of Kunashir and Iturup. You can get to them by air from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk or by boat from Korsakov. Due to constant fog and weather changes, the An-24 aircraft, flying three times a week, can wait quite a long time for suitable weather. Therefore, a motor ship is a more reliable way to travel, although due to weather conditions may also change the arrival schedule to the islands. To visit the Southern Kuril Islands, it is mandatory to obtain a pass in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, since the islands are located in the border zone.

Kunashir Island. This is one of the largest and most south island Great Kuril ridge with administrative center in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. In fact, it is a chain of volcanoes - Tyatya, Mendeleev, Golovnin Volcano, which are connected by washed-up sandstone. The Kunashirsky and Izmena straits separate the island from Japan. A bunch of thermal springs and waterfalls are also popular with travelers. Another place worth visiting is the caldera of the Golovnin volcano, where two lakes lie - Goryachee and Boiling. The latter, formed in an explosive funnel, is considered the hallmark of the Southern Kuril Islands. The lake is famous for the fact that a boiling steam-water jet can suddenly erupt from its bottom.

Cape Stolbchaty- This is one of the main attractions of Kunashir. Located on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, it was formed in the process of lava pouring into the water column. Tall basalt pillars create ribbed walls, reminiscent of a giant organ. Another highlight of the Cape is the salmon spawn, which you can spend hours watching as the fish overcome waterfalls, rapids and streams on their way to the spawning grounds.

Iturup Island. This is the most large island archipelago. From the east it is washed by the Pacific Ocean, from the west by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Of the 20 volcanoes on the island, 9 are active, and the highest is Stokap, 1634 meters in height. On Iturup, it is recommended to visit the Lion's Mouth Bay and three volcanoes - Berutarube, Atsonopuri and Kudryavy. There are also more than 30 lakes, many waterfalls, hot and mineral springs.

Berutarube Volcano (1222m). In both craters of the volcano, active fumarole activity occurs. At the top there is a destroyed caldera with a diameter of more than 2 km.

Atsonopuri Volcano (1205m). Due to the high porosity of the slag, a distinctive feature of the island was the complete absence of water. Atsonopuri is the so-called “volcano within a volcano”, extended far into the open sea. The correctness of the cone allowed it to take 3rd place in the world after Fuji and Vesuvius.

Volcano Kudryaviy (991m). This is an active volcano, with a dome in the shape of an isosceles triangle. The height of vertical columns of gas and steam above the crater in calm weather reaches 1 kilometer. In addition, here is the only place in the world where rhenium, a rare earth metal, is mined.

Lion's Mouth Bay. Located in the southwestern part of Iturup, the bay (caldera) resembles a broken ring. The dimensions of the caldera are 7 x 9 km, and its rocky shores rise up to 400 meters. In the strait, at the entrance to the bay, there is a rocky island - the Lion Stone, reminiscent of a sleeping lion. The two capes jutting out into the sea are called Fang and Jaw.

2.2 Volcanoes of the Kuril Islands

Volcanic activity is observed exclusively in the Greater Kuril Ridge, the islands of which are mainly of volcanic origin and only the northernmost and southernmost are composed of sedimentary rocks of Neogene age. These rocks serve here as the foundation on which volcanic structures arose.

The volcanoes of the Kuril Islands are confined to deep faults in the earth's crust, which are continuations of the faults of Kamchatka. Together with the latter, they form one volcanic and tectonic Kuril-Kamchatka arc, convex towards the Pacific Ocean. There are 25 on the Kuril Islands active volcanoes(of which 4 are underwater), 13 are fading and more than 60 are extinct. The volcanoes of the Kuril Islands have been studied very little. Among them, Alaid volcanoes, Sarychev Fuss peak, Snow and Milia volcanoes stand out for their increased activity. Alaid Volcano is located on the first northern island (Atlasov Island) and is the most active of all the Kuril volcanoes. It is the highest (2239 m) and rises beautifully in the form of a regular cone directly from the surface of the sea. At the top of the cone, in a small depression, is the central crater of the volcano. By the nature of its eruptions, the Alaid volcano belongs to the ethno-Vesuvian type. Over the past 180 years, there have been eight known eruptions of this volcano and two eruptions of the side cone Taketomi, which formed during. eruption of Alaid in 1934. Volcanic activity on the Kuril Islands is accompanied by numerous hot springs with temperatures from 36 to 100 C. The springs are varied in form and salt composition and are even less studied than volcanoes.

2.3 Paramushirskaya underwater volcanic group

Within this volcanic group, the Grigoriev underwater volcano, an underwater volcano located to the west of the island, has been studied. Paramushir and underwater lava cones near the island. Paramushir.

Underwater volcano Grigoriev. The flat-topped underwater volcano Grigoriev, named after the outstanding Russian geologist, is located 5.5 km northwest of the island. Atlasov (Alaid volcano) (Fig. 17).

It rises from depths of 800–850 m, and its base is fused with the base of Alaid volcano. Grigoriev Volcano is located on the general line of the north-northwest direction of the location of the side cones of the Alaid volcano.

The dimensions of the base of the volcano along the isobath are 500 m 11.5 8.5 km, and the volume of the building is about 40 km 3. The steepness of the slopes reaches 10°-15°.

The top of the underwater volcano Grigoriev was cut off by abrasion and leveled to a level of 120–140 m (Fig. 18), which practically corresponds to sea level in the Late Pleistocene. In the southern part of the peak there are rocky ledges that rise to a depth of 55 m. Apparently, these rocky ledges represent a prepared neck.

Based on continuous seismic profiling records, the volcanic edifice is composed primarily of dense volcanic rocks.

An intense magnetic field anomaly with a range of more than 1000 nT is confined to the Grigoriev underwater volcano (see Fig. 18). All rocky outcroppings noted in the southern part of the flat top are clearly detected in the magnetic field by the presence of local anomalies. The volcanic structure is magnetized in the direction of the modern magnetic field.

When dredging an underwater volcano, basalts were raised, varying in composition from very low-silica to high-silica varieties. The remanent magnetization of these basalts varies in the range of 7.3–28.5 A/m, and the Königsberger ratio varies in the range of 8.4–26.5.

Data from echo sounding, continuous seismic profiling, hydromagnetic surveys and measurements of the magnetic properties of dredged samples suggest that the entire structure of the Grigoriev underwater volcano is composed of dense basalts.

The presence of a pre-Holocene 120–140 meter terrace and the magnetization of the volcanic structure in the direction of the modern magnetic field allows us to estimate the age of formation of the volcano in the range of 700–10 thousand years ago.

An underwater volcano west of the island. Paramushir. In 1989, on cruises 34 and 35 of the R/V Vulcanologist in the rear part of the Kuril Arc, 80 km west of the island. Paramushir was discovered and studied in detail a previously unknown underwater volcano.

This underwater volcano is located at the intersection of the Atlasov trough with the continuation of the transverse structure of the 4th Kuril trough. Just like the underwater volcanoes Belyankin and Edelstein, it is located far in the rear of the Kuril island arc and is 280 km away from the axis of the Kuril-Kamchatka trench.

The volcano is located on a gentle slope of the trough, rising 650–700 m above the surrounding bottom of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Fig. 19). Its base is slightly elongated in the northwest direction and measures ~ 6.5

There are about 100 more underwater volcanoes in the waters of the Kuril Islands. Volcanoes that have erupted within human memory are classified as active; volcanoes that are currently showing signs of activity are classified as potentially active.

Active and potentially active volcanoes of the Kuril Islands

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Notes

Literature

• Atlas of the Kuril Islands / Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geography RAS. Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS; Editorial Board: V. M. Kotlyakov (chairman), P. Ya. Baklanov, N. N. Komedchikov (chief editor), etc.; Rep. editor-cartographer E. Ya. Fedorova - M.; Vladivostok: IPC “DIK”, 2009. - 516 p. - 300 copies.

- ISBN 978-5-89658-034-8.

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