Kizimen
Encyclopedia
Kizimen is a stratovolcano
located in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula
, Russia
.
The volcano was in a dormant state since an eruption in 1929, but on the second of September 2009 it was reported by Georgina Cooper for the Reuters news agency that the crater lake temperature had risen 10 degrees Celsius in a week and plumes of steam were rising from its flanks. The activity continued throughout 2010, with the formation of new fumaroles reported in November. Seismic activity and ash emission continued to build over the following weeks, and in January 2011 a hotspot was recorded, indicating the presence of lava. In early February 2011 the volcano sent a column of ash several kilometres high. Air traffic was alerted and told to avoid the area.
As of April 2011, it has been reported that the volcanic activity and ash are threatening the endangered wild reindeer of the area.
The volcano is not well understood, and research has indicated that the volcano could erupt in a similar fashion to the catastrophic 1980 eruption
of Mount St Helens.
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
located in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The volcano was in a dormant state since an eruption in 1929, but on the second of September 2009 it was reported by Georgina Cooper for the Reuters news agency that the crater lake temperature had risen 10 degrees Celsius in a week and plumes of steam were rising from its flanks. The activity continued throughout 2010, with the formation of new fumaroles reported in November. Seismic activity and ash emission continued to build over the following weeks, and in January 2011 a hotspot was recorded, indicating the presence of lava. In early February 2011 the volcano sent a column of ash several kilometres high. Air traffic was alerted and told to avoid the area.
As of April 2011, it has been reported that the volcanic activity and ash are threatening the endangered wild reindeer of the area.
The volcano is not well understood, and research has indicated that the volcano could erupt in a similar fashion to the catastrophic 1980 eruption
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...
of Mount St Helens.