Plosky Tolbachik Volcano

Tolbachinsky Dale is one of the most unique places of Kamchatka. Tolbachik is situated in the south-west part of the Klyuchevskaya volcanic group. This place is famous for the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption (GTFE) which includes North and South Fissures (1975-1976). The North Fissure consists of slag cones, hardened lava flows, coming down the western slope, slag fields, which formed during the eruption and spread over the territory of more than 1000 km². The lunar vehicle tests were operated in this area in the USSR period.

Even after more than 35 years after that great eruption the area is still like a fantastic planet’s surface. The lifeless, at the first sight, slag fields, the chains of variegated slag cones, scattering in numerous directions,  volcanic bombs, moving of the dead forest, fixed by the hot breath of the volcano, and bright northern patterns created by flowers on the dark slag.

The last eruption in 2012-13 attracted the volcanologists and lovers of volcanic activities here. Plosky Tolbachik is the only volcano in the Kuril-Kamchatka zone which erupts in the Hawaiian type. It means that during its eruptions the extended flows of liquid lava flow down, the lava gushes and there is not much volcanic slag. The period of Tolbachik volcanic activity is about 35 years. The volcano has been observed since 1740. Since then 10 eruptions has been fixed, 4 of them were great. The last eruption started on the 27^th of November, 2012, at the south-west slope of Plosky Tolbachik. The lava began to gush and flow from the 6 km in length fissure. The eruption lasted for 9 months and finished on the 28th of August, 2013. The total volume of 2012-2013 lava at the end of the eruption was about 0,5 km³. The lava covered the area of 36 km².

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky