Fantastic, incredible, magical land of the Kamchatka Valley of Geysers is an amazing land, as if materialized from the most interesting and unusual works of science fiction writers. It is all the more incredible that this magnificent, amazing region was discovered not so long ago, in 1941.
Opening the Valley
April 1941 was marked by the world's largest discovery - the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka lifted the veil over the secret of its existence. It was discovered by geologist Tatyana Ustinova together with a guide, a native of these places, Anisifor Krupenin. This discovery was of an accidental nature and occurred while studying the life and water regime of the Shumnaya River with its tributary flowing from the caldera of the Uzon volcano in one of the most inaccessible gorges.
Before that, no one had found geysers on the Asian continent, not even scientific assumptions were put forward that in these areas, despite the abundance of volcanoes, such special and extremely rare thermodynamic conditions may exist,that are required for their occurrence and functioning. There are no such unique places on the continent.
Pearl of Kamchatka
The Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka is located in the canyon of the Geysernaya River, occupying about 6 square kilometers. km of area, on which there are numerous outlets of hot springs, geysers, mud pots. Unique thermal sites, lakes and waterfalls - it seems that all natural curiosities are collected in this small area. The incredibly high contrast of the microclimate and natural conditions has given rise to such a huge biological diversity of living organisms and their species in the ecosystem that it is hard to believe.
Several hundred thermal water sources are located in the riverbed and at the bottom of the Geyser Lake. There are more than 20 large geysers in the Valley, from which almost boiling water periodically gushes and hot jets rush upwards steam. In 1996, the Valley was added to the list of natural sites under the protection of UNESCO.
The Seventh Wonder of the World
The entire ecological system of the valley is a unique symbiosis of the rarest thermodynamic conditions with underground volcanic activity, which is amazing and it is no coincidence that it is the seventh wonder of Russia. The Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka received this high-profile status in 2008.
The uniqueness of its ecosystem is very vulnerable, therefore, environmental monitoring is necessary and constantly carried out, and the excursion load on the territory of the reserve is severely limited. Since 1992, touristcompanies under the contract created a clear organization of helicopter tours in compliance with a whole set of strict rules and requirements to maintain the balance of the system. Significant restrictions will apply to independent access to the canyon. The Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka, the photo of which has spread all over the world for a long time, is a unique object for ecological tourism.
Geysers
In the same 1941, a description of all open geyser sources was made. Tatyana Ustinova recalls that at the same time they were given names based on their design features, the power of steam and water ejection, the color of the geyserite, or any other signs of each. For example, the Giant geyser in Kamchatka is a name that speaks for itself. This is the largest hot spring. "Firstborn" - a geyser, the first to be seen by researchers. "Slit" releases jets of steam and water from the gap, and "Triple" - from three holes at once. Geysers in Kamchatka have both romantic and practical names: Malachite Grotto, Pearly, Pink, Gates of Hell, Insidious, Skovorodka, Double, Small, Large, etc. Geyser "Averiy" immortalized the name of the famous hydrogeologist Valery Averyev.
Giant geyser eruption is a magnificent sight. It begins with a powerful splash, ejection of a column of water up to 30 m, and escaping clouds of steam - up to several hundred meters. The fountain beats for two minutes, then the geyser "let off steam". And again, preparations for the next eruption begin - the gradual filling of the griffin with water. The entire cycle of the sourcetakes almost 5 hours. Each geyser lives in its own specific mode and operates with the precision of a Swiss watch. The temperature of the ejected water and steam reaches the maximum boiling point.
Valley Cataclysms
Unfortunately, the wonders of nature do not last forever. They themselves suffer from the elements, which cannot be curbed. For example, Typhoon Elsa, which hit in 1981, caused heavy rains that significantly increased the water level in the river. And the result of the flood was the partial destruction of many sources and the complete destruction of the Bolshaya Pechka geyser.
June 2007 was catastrophic for the geyser valley. A giant landslide, which formed a mudflow with a volume of 20 million m3 of rock, blocked the channel of the Geysernaya River. The mudflow not only blocked the channel, but also rushed down it, stopping the destructive movement only at the Triumphal Gate. At the same time, the continued collapse of the landslide in the upper reaches of the Geyserny Creek formed debris avalanches that descended and completed the formation of the dam. Only a miracle saved the helipad and visitor center of the reserve from destruction. Mud flow covered more than half of the area of this amazing natural object. 13 of the most interesting sources disappeared in the resulting dam.
Like a phoenix
Despite the fact that the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka was undoubtedly affected by the landslide and its consequences, after the dam burst, the water level dropped by 9 meters, and most of the geysers recovered. The new mudflow that took place in 2013 finally stabilizedecosystem of the valley, restored the functioning of previously existing hot springs and contributed to the formation of new ones.
The Valley of Geysers, like a living being, is constantly changing. It cannot be perceived separately from the peculiar unusual ecological system that has developed around it. Unique places, interesting discoveries, the name of geysers in Kamchatka - an unpredictable land full of mysteries and magic that you can't get used to.
