Volcanoes of Kamchatka facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
Koryaksky volcano rising above Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
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| Location | Kamchatka Krai, Russia |
| Includes |
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| Criteria | Natural: (vii)(viii)(ix)(x) |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
| Extensions | 2001 |
| Area | 3,830,200 ha (14,788 sq mi) |
The volcanoes of Kamchatka are a large group of volcanoes situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160 volcanoes, 29 of them still active. The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 29 active volcanoes being included in the six UNESCO World Heritage List sites in the volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The volcanoes of Kamchatka are a large group of volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. 29 active volcanoes are included in six UNESCO World Heritage List sites. They are listed as the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, and most of them are on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160 volcanoes, including the 29 active ones.
The highest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750 m or 15,584 ft), the largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere. The most striking is Kronotsky, whose perfect cone was said by celebrated volcanologists Robert and Barbara Decker to be a prime candidate for the world's most beautiful volcano.
In the center of Kamchatka is Eurasia's world famous Geyser Valley which was partly destroyed by a massive mudslide in June 2007.
Deep seismic events and tsunamis are fairly common. Intense volcanism is caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate. A pair of huge earthquakes occurred off the coast on October 16, 1737, and on November 4, 1952, in magnitudes ~9.3 and 8.2 respectively. More shallow earthquakes were recorded as recently as April 2006.
See also
In Spanish: Volcanes de Kamchatka para niños
