Bolshoi Semiachik Volcanic massif

Bolshoi Semiachik volcanic massif is made up of 7 stratovolcanoes, located in the eastern range. The highest one is Zubchatka Volcano (1,720m), then comes Zapadny Barany (1,425m) and Vostochni Barany (1,320m). These stratovolcanoes are included in a volcanic massif with a diameter of about 15km, in a caldera that is about 100,000 years old. In the last 10,000 years, extrusive volcanic domes have developed. Its many fumarole fields make it one of the most important hydrothermal systems in Kamchatka. This hydrothermal activity shows in different ways: overheated steam jets, bubbling mud pools, hot lakes, heated rocks, etc. The largest thermal field, 250 meters wide, is called Pariachaya Dolina (Steam valley). The steam reaches a heat of 970°C. Nearby, there is another thermal field where the steam reaches 1,370°C. The source where they come from has been given the sweet name of Past Drakona which means “Dragon’s mouth”. Sentralny Semiachik Volcano, on the same massif, has a lake with steam jets happening at its bottom which creates boiling on the surface. The vegetation of the massif is mostly mountain tundra. It is inhabited by many animals typical of Kamchatka’s mountainous regions. Bolshoi Semiachik Volcanic massif is among the unique natural sites of Kronotsky National Biosphere Reserve.