HR: 0800h
AN: T51A-0297 [Abstracts]
TI: JUNE 03, 2007 NATURAL DISASTER IN THE VALLEY OF GEYSERS IN KAMCHATKA
AU: * Gordeev, E I
EM: gordeev@kscnet.ru
AF: Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, av.Pijp,9, Petropavlovsk-Kamcha, 683006,
Russian Federation
AU: Pinegina, T K
EM: tpinegina@kscnet.ru
AF: Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, av.Pijp,9, Petropavlovsk-Kamcha, 683006,
Russian Federation
AU: Droznin, V A
EM: dva@kscnet.ru
AF: Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, av.Pijp,9, Petropavlovsk-Kamcha, 683006,
Russian Federation
AU: Dvigalo, V N
EM: vdvigalo@kscnet.ru
AF: Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, av.Pijp,9, Petropavlovsk-Kamcha, 683006,
Russian Federation
AU: Melekestsev, I V
EM: ivan@kscnet.ru
AF: Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, av.Pijp,9, Petropavlovsk-Kamcha, 683006,
Russian Federation
AB:
The famous Valley of Geysers along with active volcanoes appears to be a beautiful visiting card of Kamchatka. It
is well known in Russia and other countries as the most popular tourist place. Annually it is visited by thousands
of Russian and foreign tourists.
The Valley of Geysers is the most potentially hazardous area in Kamchatka because of intense development of
landslides, avalanches and frequent mudflows occurring within its boundaries. June 03, 2007 landslide, followed
by a mudflow, resulted in a north - west faced horse-shoe amphitheater consisting of two adjacent circuses. The
height of north-eastern sub-vertical wall is 150 m with a length 800 m; the length of a flatly inclined bottom 400 –
600 m. Initially estimated volume of collapse and avalanche made up 8-15 millions cubic meters. Avalanching
and formation of a dam at the Geysernaya River caused completion of some geysers and open thermal water
discharge at sites blocked off by the avalanche and a dammed lake. However beyond the boundaries of the
avalanche and the lake, the geysers are still operating. It is likely that some geysers could be brought back if
water level in the lake decreases. Possibly new geysers could appear.
Based on results of routine survey we estimated specific areas that nowadays pose a hazard as well as a
possibility of new avalanches and landslides that may occur in the future. Estimation and forecast of new
avalanches and landslides require continuous observations to be performed in the Valley of Geysers to monitor
deformation and seismic processes.
DE: 1744 Tectonophysics
DE: 1815 Erosion
DE: 8175 Tectonics and landscape evolution
DE: 8424 Hydrothermal systems (0450, 1034, 3017, 3616, 4832, 8135)
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting