Volcanic Kuril Islands on the map. Active volcanoes smoked. Active and potentially active volcanoes of the Kuril Islands

2.2 Volcanoes Kuril Islands

Volcanic activity is observed exclusively in the Greater Kuril Range, whose islands are mainly of volcanic origin and only the northernmost and southernmost are composed of Neogene sedimentary rocks. These rocks serve here as the foundation on which volcanic structures arose.

Volcanoes of the Kuril Islands are confined to deep faults in the earth's crust, which are a continuation of faults in Kamchatka. Together with the latter, they form one volcanic and tectonic Kuril-Kamchatka arc, convex to the side Pacific Ocean. There are 25 active volcanoes on the Kuril Islands (of which 4 are underwater), 13 are attenuated and more than 60 are extinct. The volcanoes of the Kuril Islands have been studied very little. Of these, the Alaid, Sarychev Fuss, Snow and Milya volcanoes stand out for their increased activity. Volcano Alaid is located on the first northern island (Atlasov Island) and of all Kuril volcanoes the most active. It is the highest (2239 m) and beautifully rises in the form of a regular cone directly from the surface of the sea. At the top of the cone in a small depression is the central crater of the volcano. By the nature of the eruptions, the Alaid volcano belongs to the ethno-Vesuvian type. Over the past 180 years, eight eruptions of this volcano and two eruptions from the lateral cone of Taketomi, which formed at the time, are known. eruptions of Alaid in 1934. Volcanic activity on the Kuril Islands is accompanied by numerous hot springs with temperatures from 36 to 100 C. The springs are diverse in form and salt composition and are even less studied than volcanoes.

2.3 Submarine volcanic group "Paramushirskaya"

Within this volcanic group, the underwater volcano Grigorieva, an underwater volcano located to the west of about. Paramushir and underwater lava cones at about. Paramushir.

Underwater volcano Grigorieva. The flat-topped underwater volcano Grigoriev, named after an outstanding Russian geologist, is located 5.5 km northwest of about. Atlasov (Alaid volcano) (Fig. 17).

It rises from depths of 800–850 m, and its base has grown together with the base of the Alaid volcano. Grigoriev volcano is located on the general line of the north-north-western direction of the location of the side cones of the Alaid volcano.

The dimensions of the base of the volcano along the isobath 500 m 11.5 8.5 km, and the volume of the building is about 40 km 3 . The steepness of the slopes reaches 10o-15o.

The summit of the underwater volcano Grigorieva was cut off by abrasion and leveled to a level of 120–140 m (Fig. 18), which practically corresponds to the sea level in the Late Pleistocene. In the southern part of the peak, rocky ledges were noted, rising to a depth of 55 m. Apparently, these rocky ledges represent a prepared neck.

Judging by the records of continuous seismic profiling, the volcanic edifice is composed mainly of dense volcanic rocks.

An intense magnetic field anomaly with a amplitude of more than 1000 nT is confined to the underwater volcano Grigoriev (see Fig. 18). All rock ledges, marked in the southern part of the flat top, are clearly fixed in the magnetic field by the presence of local anomalies. The volcanic edifice is magnetized in the direction of the current magnetic field.

During the dredging of an underwater volcano, basalts were raised, varying in composition from very low-silica to high-silica varieties. The remanent magnetization of these basalts varies in the range of 7.3–28.5 A/m, while the Königsberger ratio varies in the range of 8.4–26.5.

Data from echo sounding, continuous seismic profiling, hydromagnetic surveys, and measurements of the magnetic properties of dredged samples suggest that the entire edifice of the underwater volcano Grigoriev is composed of dense basalts.

The presence of a pre-Holocene 120–140 meter terrace and the magnetization of the volcanic edifice in the direction of the modern magnetic field allows us to estimate the age of the formation of the volcano in the range of 700–10 thousand years ago.

An underwater volcano to the west of about. Paramushir. In 1989, during the 34th and 35th cruises of the R/V Vulkanolog in the rear part of the Kuril arc, 80 km west of the island. Paramushir was discovered and studied in detail previously unknown underwater volcano.

This submarine volcano is located at the intersection of the Atlasov trough with the continuation of the transverse structure of the 4th Kuril trough. Like the Belyankin and Edelstein underwater volcanoes, it is located far in the rear of the Kuril Island Arc and is 280 km away from the axis of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench.

The volcano is located on a gentle slope of a trough, rising above the surrounding bottom Sea of Okhotsk at 650–700 m (Fig. 19). Its base is slightly elongated in the northwest direction and has dimensions of ~ 6.5

The mysterious Kuriles are a paradise for any romantic traveler. Inaccessibility, uninhabited, geographical isolation, active volcanoes, far from a "beach climate", avaricious information - not only do not scare away, but also increase the desire to get to the foggy, fire-breathing islands - the former military fortresses of the Japanese army, still hiding deep underground many secrets.
The Kuril arc with a narrow chain of islands, like an openwork bridge, connects two worlds - Kamchatka and Japan. The Kuriles are part of the Pacific volcanic ring. The islands are the tops of the highest structures of the volcanic ridge, protruding from the water only 1-2 km, and extending into the depths of the ocean for many kilometers.

In total, there are over 150 volcanoes on the islands, of which 39 are active. The highest of them is the Alaid volcano - 2339 m, located on the island of Atlasov. Volcanic activity is associated with the presence on the islands of numerous thermal springs some of them medicinal.

Experts compare the Kuril Islands with a huge Botanical Garden, where representatives of various floras coexist: Japanese-Korean, Manchurian and Okhotsk-Kamchatka. Here they grow together - polar birch and thousand-year-old yew, larch with spruce and wild grapes, cedar dwarf and velvet tree, interweaving of woody vines and carpet thickets of lingonberries. Traveling around the islands, you can visit various natural areas, get from the pristine taiga to subtropical thickets, from the moss tundra to the jungle of giant grasses.
The seabed around the islands is covered with dense vegetation, in the thickets of which numerous fish, mollusks, marine animals find refuge, and crystal clear water allows lovers of underwater travel to navigate well in the seaweed jungle, where unique finds also happen - sunken ships and the Japanese military technique - reminders of military events in the history of the Kuril archipelago.

Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir

GEOGRAPHY, WHERE THEY ARE, HOW TO GET TO
The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean in a slightly convex arc.
The length is about 1200 km. The total area is 10.5 thousand km². To the south of them is state border Russian Federation with Japan.
The islands form two parallel ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. Includes 56 islands. They are of great military-strategic and economic importance. The Kuril Islands are part of the Sakhalin region of Russia. The southern islands of the archipelago - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group - are disputed by Japan, which includes them in the Hokkaido prefecture.

The Kuril Islands belong to the regions of the Far North
The climate on the islands is marine, rather severe, with cold and long winters, cool summers, and high humidity. The mainland monsoon climate undergoes significant changes here. In the southern part of the Kuril Islands, winter frosts can reach -25 ° C, average temperature February - -8 °C. In the northern part, the winter is milder, with frosts down to -16 ° C and -7 ° C in February.
In winter, the islands are affected by the Aleutian baric minimum, the effect of which weakens by June.
The average temperature in August in the southern part of the Kuril Islands is +17 °C, in the north - +10 °C.

Iturup Island, White Rocks Kuril Islands

List of KURIL ISLANDS
List of islands with an area of more than 1 km² in the direction from north to south.
Name, Area, km², height, Latitude, Longitude
Great Kuril Ridge
northern group
Atlasova 150 2339 50°52" 155°34"
Shumshu 388 189 50°45" 156°21"
Paramushir 2053 1816 50°23" 155°41"
Antsiferova 7 747 50°12" 154°59"
Macanrushi 49 1169 49°46" 154°26"
Onecotan 425 1324 49°27" 154°46"
Harimkotan 68 1157 49°07" 154°32"
Chirinkotan 6 724 48°59" 153°29"
Ekarma 30 1170 48°57" 153°57"
Shiashkotan 122 934 48°49" 154°06"

middle group
Raikoke 4.6 551 48°17" 153°15"
Matua 52 1446 48°05" 153°13"
Russhua 67 948 47°45" 153°01"
Ushishir Islands 5 388 — —
Ryponkicha 1.3 121 47°32" 152°50"
Yankich 3.7 388 47°31" 152°49"
Ketoi 73 1166 47°20" 152°31"
Simushir 353 1539 46°58" 152°00"
Broughton 7 800 46°43" 150°44"
Black Brothers Islands 37,749 — —
Chirpoy 21 691 46°30" 150°55"
Brat-Chirpoev 16,749 46°28" 150°50" Kuril Islands

Southern group
Urup 1450 1426 45°54" 149°59"
Iturup 3318.8 1634 45°00" 147°53"
Kunashir 1495.24 1819 44°05" 145°59"

Small Kuril Ridge
Shikotan 264.13 412 43°48" 146°45"
Polonsky 11.57 16 43°38" 146°19"
Green 58.72 24 43°30" 146°08"
Tanfilyev 12.92 15 43°26" 145°55"
Yuri 10.32 44 43°25" 146°04"
Anuchina 2.35 33 43°22" 146°00"

volcano Atsonapuri Kuril Islands

Geological structure
The Kuril Islands are a typical ensimatic island arc at the edge of the Okhotsk plate. It sits above a subduction zone where the Pacific Plate is being swallowed up. Most of the islands are mountainous. The highest height is 2339 m - Atlasov Island, Alaid volcano. The Kuril Islands are located in the Pacific volcanic ring of fire in a zone of high seismic activity: out of 68 volcanoes, 36 are active, there are hot mineral springs. Large tsunamis are not uncommon. The most famous are the tsunami of November 5, 1952 in Paramushir and the Shikotan tsunami of October 5, 1994. The last major tsunami occurred on November 15, 2006 in Simushir.

South Kuril Bay, Kunashir Island

earthquakes
In Japan, an average of 1,500 earthquakes per year is recorded, i.e. 4 earthquakes per day. Most of them are associated with movement in the earth's crust (tectonics). Over 15 centuries, 223 destructive earthquakes and 2000 of medium strength were noted and described: These, however, are far from complete numbers, since earthquakes began to be recorded in Japan with special instruments only since 1888. A significant proportion of earthquakes occur in the Kuril Islands region, where they are often appear as seaquakes. Captain Snow, who hunted sea animals here for many years, at the end of the last century, repeatedly observed such phenomena. So, for example, on July 12, 1884, 4 miles west of the Srednov stones, the gusty noise and shuddering of the ship lasted about two hours with intervals of 15 minutes and a duration of 30 seconds. The waves of the sea were not noticed at that time. The water temperature was normal, about 2.25°C.
Between 1737 and 1888 16 devastating earthquakes were noted in the region of the islands, for 1915-1916. - 3 catastrophic earthquakes in the middle part of the ridge, in 1929 - 2 similar earthquakes in the north.
Sometimes these phenomena are associated with underwater lava eruptions. The destructive impacts of earthquakes sometimes raise a huge wave (tsunami) on the sea, which is repeated several times. With colossal force, it falls on the shores, complementing the destruction from the shaking of the soil. The height of the wave can be judged, for example, from the case of the ship “Natalia”, sent by Lebedev-Lastochkin and Shelekhov under the command of the navigator Petushkov to the 18th island: “On January 8, 1780, there was a severe earthquake; the sea rose so high that the gukor (A. S.’s ship), which was in the harbor, was carried to the middle of the island ... ”(Berkh, 1823, pp. 140-141; Pozdneev, p. 11). The wave caused by the earthquake of 1737 reached a height of 50 m and hit the shore with terrible force breaking rocks. Several new rocks and cliffs have risen in the Second Channel. During an earthquake on Simushir in 1849, all sources of groundwater dried up, and its population was forced to move to other places.

Paramushir island, Ebeko volcano

Mendeleev volcano, Kunashir island

Mineral springs
The presence of numerous hot and highly mineralized springs on the islands is associated with volcanic activity. They are found on almost all islands, especially on Kunashir, Iturup, Ushishir, Raikok, Shikotan, Ekarma. On the first of them there are quite a few boiling springs. On others, hot keys have a temperature of 35-70 ° C. They come out in different places and have a different debit.
On about. A Raikoke spring with a temperature of 44°C gushes at the foot of high cliffs and forms bath-like pools in the cracks of the hardened lava.
On about. Ushishir is a powerful boiling spring that comes out in the crater of a volcano, etc. The water of many springs is colorless, transparent, and most often contains sulfur, sometimes deposited along the edges with yellow grains. For drinking purposes, the water of most sources is unsuitable.
Some springs are considered healing and on the inhabited islands are used for healing. The gases emitted by volcanoes along fissures are often also rich in sulfurous fumes.

Devil's finger Kuril Islands

Natural resources
On the islands and in the coastal zone, industrial reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, mercury, natural gas, and oil have been explored. On the island of Iturup, in the area of the Kudryavy volcano, there is the richest mineral deposit of rhenium known in the world. Here, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese mined native sulfur. The total resources of gold in the Kuril Islands are estimated at 1867 tons, silver - 9284 tons, titanium - 39.7 million tons, iron - 273 million tons. Currently, the development of minerals is not numerous.
Of all the Kuril Straits, only the Frieze Strait and the Ekaterina Strait are non-freezing navigable.

Bird's waterfall, Kunashir

Flora and fauna
Flora
Due to the large length of the islands from north to south, the flora of the Kurils is extremely different. On northern islands(Paramushir, Shumshu and others), due to the harsh climate, woody vegetation is rather scarce and is represented mainly by shrub forms (dwarf trees): alder (alder), birch, willow, mountain ash, elfin cedar (cedar). On southern islands(Iturup, Kunashir) coniferous forests grow from Sakhalin fir, Ayan spruce and Kuril larch with a large participation of broad-leaved species: curly oak, maples, elms, seven-lobed calopanax with a large number of woody vines: petiolate hydrangea, actinidia, Chinese magnolia vine, wild grapes, poisonous eastern toxicodendron, etc. In the south of Kunashir, there is the only wild-growing species of magnolia in Russia - obovate magnolia. One of the main landscape plants of the Kuriles, starting from the middle islands (Ketoi and to the south), is Kuril bamboo, which forms impenetrable thickets on mountain slopes and forest edges. Tall grasses are common on all islands due to the humid climate. Various berries are widely represented: crowberry, lingonberry, blueberry, honeysuckle and others.
There are more than 40 species of endemic plants. For example, Kavakam astragalus, island wormwood, Kuril edelweiss, found on Iturup Island; Ito and Saussurea Kuril, growing on the island of Urup.
The following plants are protected on the island of Iturup: endangered Asiatic half-flower, flowering plants mainland aralia, heart-shaped aralia, seven-lobed calopanax, Japanese kandyk, Wright's viburnum, Glen's cardiocrinum, obovate peony, Fori rhododendron, Sugeroki's holly, Gray's two-leaf, pearl marsh, wolfwort low, mountain peony, lichens glossodium japanese and stereocaulon naked, gymnosperms juniper Sargent and yew spiky, bryophyte bryoxiphium savatier and atractylocarpus alpine, growing near the volcano Baransky. On the island of Urup protected viburnum Wright, Aralia heart-shaped and plagiotium obtuse.

Alaid volcano, Atlasov Island

Fauna
A brown bear lives on Kunashir, Iturup and Paramushir, the bear was also found on Shumshu, but during a long stay on the island military base, due to its relatively small size, the bears on Shumshu were mostly knocked out. Shumshu is a connecting island between Paramushir and Kamchatka, and individual bears are now found there. Foxes and small rodents live on the islands. A large number of birds: plovers, gulls, ducks, cormorants, petrels, albatrosses, passerines, owls, falconiformes and others. Lots of bird colonies.
The coastal underwater world, unlike the islands, is not only numerous, but also very diverse. Seals, sea otters, killer whales, sea lions live in coastal waters. Of great commercial importance are: fish, crabs, molluscs, squids, crustaceans, trepangs, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, seaweed, whales. The seas washing the shores of Sakhalin and the Kuriles are among the most productive areas of the World Ocean.
Endemic animals (mollusks) are also present on Iturup Island: Iturup lacustrine, Iturup sharovka (Lake Reidovo), Kuril pearl mussel, Sinanodont-like kunashiriya and Iturup zatvorka are found on Dobroye Lake.
On February 10, 1984, the State nature reserve"Kuril". 84 species included in the Red Book of Russia live on its territory.

Kunashir Island, Pervukhin Bay

History of the islands
17th-18th century
The honor of discovery, exploration and initial development of the Kuril Islands belongs to Russian expeditions and colonists.

The first visit to the islands is attributed to the Dutchman Gerrits Fries, who visited Fr. Uruppu. Calling this land "Company Land" - Companys lant (Reclus, 1885, p. 565), Friese, however, did not assume that it was part of the Kuril ridge.
The remaining islands north of Uruppu to Kamchatka were discovered and described by Russian "explorers" and navigators. And the Russians discovered Uruppa for the second time at the beginning of the 18th century. Japan at that time were known only o. Kunashiri and the Malaya Kuril ridge, but they were not part of the Japanese Empire. The northernmost colony of Japan was about. Hokkaido.
The server islands of the Kuril ridge were first reported by the clerk of the Anadyr prison, the Pentecostal Vl. Atlasov, who discovered Kamchatka. In 1697, he walked along the western coast of Kamchatka to the south to the mouth of the river. Golygina and from here "I saw how there are islands at sea."
Not knowing that trade with foreigners had been prohibited in Japan since 1639, Peter I in 1702 gave the task of establishing good-neighbourly trade relations with Japan. From that time on, Russian expeditions persistently made their way south from Kamchatka in search of a trade route to Japan. In 1706, the Cossack M. Nasedkin clearly saw land in the south from Cape Lopatka. According to the order of the Yakut voivode to “provide” this land, the Cossack ataman D. Antsiferov and Yesaul Ivan Kozyrevsky in 1711 went to about. Shumushu (Shumshu) and Paramusir (Paramushir), and upon their return they made a “drawing” of all the islands. To draw the southern islands, they used the stories of Japanese fishermen who were thrown out by a storm to Kamchatka and saw the southern islands.
In the campaign of 1713, Yesaul Ivan Kozyrevsky again "visited" the islands beyond the "transitions" (straits) and made a new "drawing". The surveyors Evreinov and Luzhin were surveying on the map in 1720 from Kamchatka to the Sixth Island (Simushiru). After 10 years, the brave leader of the "explorers" V. Shestakov with 25 service people visited the five northern islands. Following him, thorough work "for the sake of observation and finding a way to Japan" was carried out by Captain Spanberg, Bering's assistant on his second expedition.
During 1738-1739. Spanberg mapped and described almost all the islands. Based on his materials, they were shown on the "General Map Russian Empire» in the Academic Atlas of 1745, 40 islands under Russian names, for example, the islands of Anfinogen, Krasnogorsk, Stolbovoy, Krivoy, Osypnoy, Kozel, Brat, Sister, Olkhovy, Zeleny, etc. As a result of Spanberg’s work, the composition of the entire island range. The previously known extreme southern islands (“Company Land”, the island of “States”) were defined as components of the Kuril ridge.
For a long time before that, there was an idea of some large "Land of Gama" to the east of Asia. The legend of Gama's hypothetical Land was forever dispelled.
In the same years, the Russians got acquainted with the small indigenous population of the islands - the Ainu. According to the largest Russian geographer of that time, S. Krasheninnikov, on about. Shumushu by the 40s of the 18th century. there were only 44 souls.
In 1750 he sailed to about. Shimushiru is the foreman of the First Nick Island. Storozhev. After 16 years (in 1766), foremen Nikita Chikin, Chuprov and centurion Iv. Black again tried to find out the number of all the islands and the population on them.

After the death of Chikina on about. Simushiru I. Cherny spent the winter on this island. In 1767 he reached Fr. Etorofu, and then settled on about. Uruppu. Returning to Kamchatka in the autumn of 1769, Cherny reported that on 19 islands (including Etorofu) 83 "shaggy" (Ainu) had accepted Russian citizenship.
In their actions, Chikin and Cherny were obliged to be guided by the instructions of the Bolsheretsk office: “When traveling to distant islands and back ... describe .... their size, the width of the straits, which are on the islands, animals, also rivers, lakes and fish in them. .. To visit about gold and silver ores and pearls ... offenses, taxes, robbery ... and other acts contrary to the decrees and rudeness and fornication violence, not to show, expecting the highest mercy and reward for jealousy. After some time, the Tyumen merchant Yak. Nikonov, as well as sailors trading company Protodyakonova and other "explorers" delivered more accurate news about the islands.
In order to firmly and finally consolidate the islands and develop them, the chief commander of Kamchatka, Bem, proposed to build on about. Uruppu fortification, create a Russian settlement there and develop the economy. To implement this proposal and develop trade with Japan, the Yakut merchant Lebedev-Lastochkin equipped an expedition in 1775 under the command of the Siberian nobleman Antipin. The expedition ship "Nikolai" crashed near about. Uruppu. Two years later, to Antipin on about. Uruppa was sent from Okhotsk the ship "Natalia" under the command of navigator M. Petushkov.
After wintering on Uruppu, "Natalia" went to Akkesi Bay on about. Hokkaido and met a Japanese ship here. By agreement with the Japanese, Antipin and the translator, the Irkutsk townsman Shabalin, appeared in 1779 with the goods of Lebedev-Lastochkin on about. Hokkaido to Akkeshi Bay. Strictly mindful of the instructions received by Antipin that “... having met with the Japanese, act courteously, affectionately, decently ... find out what Russian goods they need“ things and what kind of things you can get from them in return, set prices and whether they would like to for mutual bargaining, to make an agreement on some island that would guide the future ... to establish peaceful relations with the Japanese, ”the merchants counted on trade that would be beneficial for both sides. But their hopes were not justified. In Akkesi, they were given the prohibition of the Japanese not only to trade on about. Hokkaido (Matsmai), but also sail to Etorofu and Kunashiri.
Since that time, the Japanese government began to oppose the Russians in the southern islands in every possible way. In 1786, it commissioned an official, Mogami Tokunai, to inspect the islands. Finding three Russians on Etorofu and interrogating them, Tokunai handed them an order: “Foreign nationals are strictly forbidden to enter Japanese territory. Therefore, I order you to return to your state as soon as possible. The movement of Russian merchants to the south for peaceful purposes was interpreted by the Japanese in a completely different way.

city of Severo-Kurilsk

19th century
In 1805, a representative of the Russian-American Company, Nikolai Rezanov, who arrived in Nagasaki as the first Russian envoy, tried to resume negotiations on trade with Japan. But he also failed. However, the Japanese officials, who were not satisfied with the despotic policy of the supreme power, gave him hints that it would be nice to carry out a forceful action in these lands, which could push the situation off the ground. This was carried out on behalf of Rezanov in 1806-1807 by an expedition of two ships led by Lieutenant Khvostov and midshipman Davydov. Ships were plundered, a number of trading posts were destroyed, and a Japanese village was burned on Iturup. Later they were tried, but the attack for some time led to a serious deterioration in Russian-Japanese relations. In particular, this was the reason for the arrest of Vasily Golovnin's expedition.
The first distinction between the possessions of Russia and Japan in the Kuril Islands was made in the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.
In exchange for the right to own southern Sakhalin, Russia transferred to Japan in 1875 all the Kuril Islands.

20th century
After the defeat in 1905 in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia transferred the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan.
In February 1945, the Soviet Union promised the United States and Great Britain to start a war with Japan on the condition that Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands be returned to it.
February 2, 1946. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the formation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands Sakhalin region as part of Khabarovsk Territory RSFSR.
November 5, 1952. A powerful tsunami hit the entire coast of the Kuriles, Paramushir suffered the most. A giant wave washed away the city of Severo-Kurilsk (formerly Kasivabara). The press was forbidden to mention this catastrophe.
In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan adopted a Joint Treaty officially ending the war between the two states and transferring Habomai and Shikotan to Japan. Signing the agreement, however, did not work out, because it came out that Japan was waiving the rights to Iturup and Kunashir, because of which the United States threatened not to give Japan the island of Okinawa.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Yuzhno-Kurilsk

The Problem of Ownership
At the end of World War II in February 1945, at the Yalta Conference of the Heads of Power, the countries participating in the anti-Hitler coalition, an agreement was reached on the unconditional return of the southern part of Sakhalin and the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union after the victory over Japan.
On July 26, 1945, within the framework of the Potsdam Conference, the Potsdam Declaration was adopted, which limited the sovereignty of Japan to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. On August 8, the USSR joined the Potsdam Declaration. On August 14, Japan accepted the terms of the Declaration and on September 2, 1945, signed the Instrument of Surrender confirming these terms. But these documents did not speak directly about the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR.
On August 18 - September 1, 1945, Soviet troops carried out the Kuril landing operation and occupied, among other things, the southern Kuril Islands - Urup, Iturup, Kunashir and the Lesser Kuril ridge.
In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of February 2, 1946, in these territories, after their exclusion from Japan by Memorandum No. In 1947, it became part of the newly formed Sakhalin Oblast as part of the RSFSR.
On September 8, 1951, Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty, according to which it renounced "all rights, titles and claims to the Kuril Islands and to that part of Sakhalin Island and the islands adjacent to it, sovereignty over which Japan acquired under the Portsmouth Treaty of September 5, 1905 G." When discussing the San Francisco Treaty in the US Senate, a resolution was adopted containing the following clause: damage to the rights and legal foundations of Japan in these territories, as well as any provisions in favor of the USSR in relation to Japan contained in the Yalta Agreement will not be recognized. In view of the serious claims to the draft treaty, the representatives of the USSR, Poland and Czechoslovakia refused to sign it. The treaty was also not signed by Burma, the DRV, India, the DPRK, the PRC, and the MPR, which were not represented at the conference.
Japan makes territorial claims to the southern Kuril Islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai with total area 5175 km². These islands are called the "Northern Territories" in Japan. Japan substantiates its claims with the following arguments:
According to Article 2 of the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, these islands were included in Japan and they are the original possession of Japan.
This group of islands, according to the official position of Japan, is not included in the Kuril chain (Chishima Islands) and, having signed the act of surrender and the San Francisco Treaty, Japan did not renounce them.
The USSR did not sign the San Francisco Treaty.
However, the Shimodsky treatise is considered annulled due to the Russo-Japanese War (1905).
In 1956, the Moscow Declaration was signed, which ended the state of war and established diplomatic and consular relations between the USSR and Japan. Article 9 of the Declaration states, in part:
The USSR, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Islands to Japan, however, that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty.
On November 14, 2004, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the eve of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan, stated that Russia, as the successor state of the USSR, recognizes the 1956 Declaration as existing and is ready to conduct territorial negotiations with Japan on its basis.
It is noteworthy that on November 1, 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the Kuril Islands. President Dmitry Medvedev then stressed that “all the islands of the Kuril chain are the territory of the Russian Federation. This is our land, and we must equip the Kuriles.” The Japanese side remained implacable and called this visit regrettable, which in turn caused a response from the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to which there could be no changes in the status of the Kuril Islands.
Some Russian official experts, in search of a solution that could satisfy both Japan and Russia, offer very peculiar options. So, Academician K.E. Chervenko in April 2012, in an article on the possibility of a final settlement of the territorial dispute between the Russian Federation and Japan, voiced an approach in which the countries participating in the San Francisco Treaty (states that have the right to determine the international legal status of South Sakhalin with the adjacent islands and all the Kuril Islands) recognize the Kuriles de facto the territory of the Russian Federation, leaving behind Japan the right to consider them de jure (under the terms of the aforementioned agreement) not included in Russia.

Cape Stolbchaty, Kunashir Island

Population
The Kuril Islands are extremely unevenly populated. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. There is no permanent population on the other islands. At the beginning of 2010 there were 19 settlements: two cities (Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk), an urban-type settlement (Yuzhno-Kurilsk) and 16 villages.
The maximum value of the population was noted in 1989 and amounted to 29.5 thousand people. In Soviet times, the population of the islands was significantly higher due to high subsidies and a large number military personnel. Thanks to the military, the islands of Shumshu, Onekotan, Simushir and others were populated.
As of 2010, the population of the islands is 18.7 thousand people, including in the Kuril urban district - 6.1 thousand people (on the only inhabited island of Iturup, also includes Urup, Simushir, etc.); in the South Kuril urban district - 10.3 thousand people. (Kunashir, Shikotan and other islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge (Khabomai)); in the North Kuril urban district - 2.4 thousand people (on the only inhabited island of Paramushir, also includes Shumshu, Onekotan, etc.).

Onekotan Island

Economy and development
On August 3, 2006, at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federal Program for the Development of the Islands from 2007 to 2015 was approved, including 4 blocks: transport infrastructure, fish processing industry, social infrastructure and energy solutions. The program provides:
The allocation of funds for this program is almost 18 billion rubles, that is, 2 billion rubles a year, which is equivalent to about 300 thousand rubles for each inhabitant of the islands, which will increase the population from 19 to 30 thousand people.
The development of the fishing industry - at present, there are only two fish factories on the islands, and both are state-owned. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation proposes to create another 20 new fish hatcheries to replenish biological resources. The federal program provides for the creation of the same number of private fish breeding plants and the reconstruction of one fish processing plant.
On the islands, it is planned to build new kindergartens, schools, hospitals, develop transport network, including the construction of a modern all-weather airport.
The problem of electricity shortage, which is four times more expensive in the Kuriles than in Sakhalin, is planned to be solved through the construction of power plants operating on geothermal sources, using the experience of Kamchatka and Japan.
In addition, in May 2011, the Russian authorities announced their intention to allocate an additional 16 billion rubles, thereby doubling the funding for the development program for the Kuril Islands.
In February 2011, it became known about plans to strengthen the defense of the Kuriles with an air defense brigade, as well as a mobile coastal missile system with Yakhont anti-ship missiles.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads.
Photo: Tatyana Selena, Viktor Morozov, Andrey Kapustin, Artem Demin
The Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geography RAS. Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS; Editors: V. M. Kotlyakov (chairman), P. Ya. Baklanov, N. N. Komedchikov (chief editor) and others; Rep. editor-cartographer Fedorova E. Ya. Atlas of the Kuril Islands. — M.; Vladivostok: IPTs "DIK", 2009. - 516 p.
Control natural resources and Environmental Protection Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia for the Sakhalin Region. Report "On the state and protection of the environment of the Sakhalin region in 2002" (2003). Retrieved June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.
Sakhalin region. Official site of the governor and government of the Sakhalin region. Retrieved June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on October 7, 2006.
Makeev B. "The Kuril problem: the military aspect". World economy and International Relations, 1993, No. 1, p. 54.
Wikipedia site.
Solovyov A.I. Kuril Islands / Glavsevmorput. - Ed. 2nd. - M .: Publishing House of the Glavsevmorput, 1947. - 308 p.
Atlas of the Kuril Islands / Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geography RAS. Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS; Editors: V. M. Kotlyakov (chairman), P. Ya. Baklanov, N. N. Komedchikov (chief editor) and others; Rep. editor-cartographer Fedorova E. Ya .. - M .; Vladivostok: IPTs "DIK", 2009. - 516 p. - 300 copies. - ISBN 978-5-89658-034-8.
http://www.kurilstour.ru/islands.shtml

Volcanoes of the Kuril Islands

Volcanoes of the Kuril Islands are confined to deep faults in the earth's crust, which are a continuation of faults in Kamchatka. Together with the latter, they form one volcanic and tectonic Kurile-Kamchatka arc, convex towards the Pacific Ocean. There are 25 active volcanoes on the Kuril Islands (of which 4 are underwater), 13 are attenuated and more than 60 are extinct. The volcanoes of the Kuril Islands have been studied very little. Of these, the Alaid, Sarychev Fuss, Snow and Milya volcanoes stand out for their increased activity. Volcano Alaid is located on the first northern island (Atlasov Island) and is the most active of all the Kuril volcanoes. It is the highest (2239 m) and beautifully rises in the form of a regular cone directly from the surface of the sea. At the top of the cone in a small depression is the central crater of the volcano. By the nature of the eruptions, the Alaid volcano belongs to the ethno-Vesuvian type. Over the past 180 years, eight eruptions of this volcano and two eruptions from the lateral cone of Taketomi, which formed at the time, are known. eruptions of Alaid in 1934. Volcanic activity on the Kuril Islands is accompanied by numerous hot springs with temperatures from 36 to 100 C. The springs are diverse in form and salt composition and are even less studied than volcanoes.

Underwater volcanic group "Paramushirskaya"

Within this volcanic group, the underwater volcano Grigorieva, an underwater volcano located to the west of about. Paramushir and underwater lava cones at about. Paramushir.

Underwater volcano Grigorieva. The flat-topped underwater volcano Grigoriev, named after an outstanding Russian geologist, is located 5.5 km northwest of about. Atlasov (Alaid volcano) (Fig. 17).

It rises from depths of 800-850 m, and its base has grown together with the base of the Alaid volcano. Grigoriev volcano is located on the general line of the north-north-western direction of the location of the side cones of the Alaid volcano.

The dimensions of the base of the volcano along the isobath 500 m 11.5 8.5 km, and the volume of the building is about 40 km 3 . The steepness of the slopes reaches 10o-15o.

The top of the underwater volcano Grigorieva was cut off by abrasion and leveled to a level of 120-140 m (Fig. 18), which practically corresponds to the sea level in the Late Pleistocene. In the southern part of the peak, rocky ledges were noted, rising to a depth of 55 m. Apparently, these rocky ledges represent a prepared neck.

Judging by the records of continuous seismic profiling, the volcanic edifice is composed mainly of dense volcanic rocks.

During the dredging of an underwater volcano, basalts were raised, varying in composition from very low-silica to high-silica varieties. The remanent magnetization of these basalts varies in the range of 7.3-28.5 A/m, and the Koenigsberger ratio - in the range of 8.4-26.5.

The presence of a pre-Holocene 120-140 meter terrace and the magnetization of the volcanic edifice in the direction of the modern magnetic field allows us to estimate the age of the formation of the volcano in the range of 700-10 thousand years ago.

The volcano is located on a gentle slope of a trough, rising 650–700 m above the surrounding bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk (Fig. 19). Its base is slightly elongated in the northwest direction and measures ~ 6.5 7 km. The top of the mountain is complicated by a number of peaks. The negative shape of the relief encircles the base of the volcano in an almost closed ring.

In the vicinity of the volcano, there are no extended scattering horizons in the sedimentary section. Only at the very base, an unextended "acoustically muddy" wedge sometimes stands out, apparently due to the accumulation of detrital material and landslide sediments. The position in the section of this “acoustically muddy” wedge corresponds to the estimated time of the formation of the volcano, which, according to the NSP, is 400-700 thousand years.

Structural features of the sedimentary cover indicate that the magma breakthrough to the bottom surface here was not accompanied by a large-scale accumulation of volcanic-sedimentary material, and most likely ended with the formation of one or a series of volcanic extrusions. Most likely, the entire building is composed of volcanic rocks.

At a distance of 5-10 km from the volcano, according to the NSP data, three small (apparently magmatic) bodies were identified that did not reach the bottom surface. Overlying sediments are folded into anticlinal folds.

The anomalous field (T) a in the area of the underwater volcano is characterized by positive values. Only in the northwestern part of the study area, negative field values with an intensity of up to -200 nT are noted. The areas of positive and negative values of the magnetic field are separated by a linear zone of high gradients, which strikes northwest. The horizontal field gradient in this zone reaches 80–100 nT/km. A positive anomaly of the magnetic field with an intensity of up to 400-500 nT is associated directly with the volcanic edifice. Near the summit part of the structure, a local maximum with an intensity of up to 700 nT was noted. The maximum of the anomaly is shifted to the south of the top of the volcano. Marked magmatic bodies that have not reached the bottom surface are not expressed as independent anomalies in the anomalous magnetic field.

The observed pattern of the anomalous magnetic field indicates the direct magnetization of the underwater volcanic structure.

Apparently, the age of the formation of the volcano is not older than 700 thousand years, which is in good agreement with the NSP data.

During the dredging of the near-top part of the mountain, mainly amphibole andesites were raised, with a subordinate amount of pyroxene andesite-basalts and plagiobasalts. In small quantities, there are fragments of granitoids, andesitic pumice, cinders, pebbles of sedimentary rocks, iron-manganese formations, and benthic biota.

Echo sounding, NSP, HMS and geological sampling data suggest that the bulk of the volcanic edifice is composed of rocks of andesite-basalt composition.

Underwater lava cones at about. Paramushir. On a number of cruises of the R/V Vulkanolog and on cruise 11-A of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, a study was made of underwater gas-hydrothermal activity on the northwestern slope of the island. Paramushir. On cruise 11-A of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, either 11 dives of the Pisis VII and Pisis XI, or 13 submersibles, were performed in the study area.

The signal for such a close study of this area was a radiogram sent on March 20, 1982 by the captain of the fishing vessel "Pogranichnik Zmeev" to the newspaper "Kamchatskaya Pravda" that near about. Paramushir "an active underwater volcano was discovered at a depth of 820 m, the extreme height of the ejection is 290 m ...". In April of the same year, on the 13th cruise of the R/V Vulkanolog, acoustic noise was detected at the indicated point, which is clearly manifested in the echo sounder records. Similar records were repeatedly recorded during research from the board of research vessels in the area of active volcanoes and were associated with the action of underwater fumaroles. In its form, the identified interference resembled a torch. Subsequently, when conducting research at the indicated point, acoustic interference on the records of various echo sounders installed on board the R/V Vulkanolog was noted until 1991, when the last specialized cruise No. 40 of this vessel was performed within the RCD.

Prior to the start of research, no signs of volcanic activity were known in the “torch” area. To establish the nature of the "torch" of anomalous water, so many studies were carried out. They made it possible to establish that the "torch" was formed by underwater gas-hydrothermal vents (SGHT), similar to an underwater fumarole, but not directly connected with any volcanic center. Therefore, the application of the term "underwater fumarole" to it would be incorrect.

PGTV is located on the west-north-western slope of about. Paramushir in the rear part of the KKOS, approximately in the middle between the Alaid and Antsiferov volcanoes. Its coordinates are 50o30.8 "N and 155o18.45" E. It is confined to a weakly manifested transverse volcanic zone, represented by almost completely buried extrusive domes or small volcanic cones, stretching from the Chikurachki volcano in a west-northwest direction. On the NSP records, these structures are similar to the side cinder cones of the Alaid volcano, which also have a transverse orientation with respect to the RCD. Most of the buried structures are 0.5-3 km in size at the base and 50-400 m in height. Taking into account that these dimensions are smaller than the inter-tack distance, excluding a small area around the PGTV itself, it can be assumed that the number of buried structures in the described area is somewhat larger. It should be noted that the buried structures in the KOD area during volcanological expeditions aboard the R/V Vulkanolog were found only in two places: in the PGTV area and near an underwater volcano to the west of the island. Paramushir.

Judging by the HMS data, not all volcanic buried structures have the same structure. Some of them are not expressed in any way in the magnetic field, but are only fixed on the NSP tapes, distinct positive or negative anomalies of the magnetic field are confined to others, and they are, most likely, lava domes or cones, frozen mainly in the sedimentary mass. Non-magnetic cone-shaped structures can be composed of cinder cones or acid rocks.

The largest lava cone is located at the northeastern end of the detailed study area. It is almost entirely located inside the sedimentary sequence, which here has a thickness of more than 1500 m. Only its near-top part rises above the bottom surface, forming a hill 100-120 m high. The recorded depth above the top is 580 m. The dimensions of this structure in its lower part at a depth of 800 -1000 m from the bottom surface reach 5-6 km. The size of the building according to the buried base is 7.5 11 km, the area is ~ 65 km 2, the total height is 1600 m. The steepness of the slopes of the building is 5o-8o. A smaller cone with a base size of ~3 km adjoins it from the south-southwest. Both of these structures are magnetic and form an anomaly, within which two extrema with an intensity of 370 and 440 nT are noted (Fig. 4). The buildings are magnetized in the direction of the modern magnetic field, and the age of their formation is not older than 700 thousand years.

The performed two-dimensional modeling showed that the effective magnetization of the northern cone is 1.56 A/m, and that of the southern cone is 3.7 A/m. Based on the average values of effective magnetization for underwater volcanoes, it can be assumed that the northern cone is composed of andesites, and the southern cone is composed of andesite-basalts.

During PHA dives on the northern cone, plagioclase-hornblende andesites and predominantly homogeneous basalts were sampled.

Comparison of geomagnetic modeling results with geological sampling data suggests that the upper part of this cone is composed of basalts, while the deeper parts are composed of andesites.

Estimates of the age of the northern cone, given in various works, vary within the Neogene-Quaternary.

A small cone, located in the southern part of the detailed work area, has a base size of ~ 1.5 km in diameter. A negative anomaly of the magnetic field with an intensity of -200 nT is confined to it (see Fig. 4). The effective magnetization of this cone is 1.3 A/m, which corresponds to the magnetization of andesitic volcanoes. The negative nature of the magnetic field suggests that the age of formation of this cone is no younger than 700 thousand years.

It should be noted that the PGTV is located in a zone of increased fracturing with a large number of small faults.

PHA subsidence in the PGTV zone showed that the most characteristic landforms in the PGTV area are chaotically located sinkholes and pits. The size of the pits varies from 1 to 10 m in diameter and has a depth of up to 3 m. The distance between the pits is 0.5-2 m.

PGTV is associated with deposits of solid gas hydrates.

Employees of the IO RAS believe that the investigated outlets are gas, and not hydrothermal.

The studies performed have shown that the PGTWs are located within a weakly expressed Quaternary (Neogene-Quaternary?) volcanic zone. They are confined to a zone of increased fracturing and are not directly connected with any volcanic center. The nearest non-magnetic (slag?) cone is located ~ 2 km to the east-south-east of the point of manifestation of acoustic interference.

Underwater volcanic group "Makanrushi".

Within this volcanic group, the contrasting underwater volcanoes Belyankina and Smirnov, named after prominent Russian geologists, were studied. These underwater volcanoes are located in the rear of Onekotan Island (see Fig. 17). The underwater volcano Belyankina is located 23 km northwest of about. Makanrushi (Fig. 21). On navigation charts, prior to the work from the R/V Vulkanolog, two distinctive depths were shown in this area, which could be the depths marked above the peaks of this underwater volcano. Our studies unequivocally showed that the Belyankin underwater volcano has only one peak.

Belyankina volcano has the shape of an isometric cone and rises above the surrounding bottom to a height of about 1100 m. The sharp peak of the volcano is located at a depth of 508 m. Belyankina volcano is located not only outside the mountain structure of the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc, but even on the other side of the Kuril basin - on its northwestern slope. The maximum size of the base of the volcanic edifice is 97 km with an area of about 50 km 2 . The volcano has steep slopes. Their steepness increases in the direction from the base to the top from 15o-20o to 25o-30o. The slopes of the volcano rising above the bottom of the basin are devoid of a sedimentary cover. The base of the overlying volcano is covered by a thick layer of sediments. On the seismograms of the NSP, they correspond to the pattern of the seismoacoustic image, which is generally typical for the sedimentary strata of this region of the Sea of Okhotsk. The volume of the volcanic edifice, taking into account the part covered by sediments, is ~35 km3. The thickness of sedimentary deposits near the volcano exceeds 1000 m. With the available estimates of the rate of sedimentation in the Sea of Okhotsk (20-200 m/m.y.), it would take from 1 to 10 m.y. to form this sequence.

Underwater volcano Belyankina clearly manifests itself in a magnetic field. It is associated with a magnetic field anomaly with a swing of 650 nT, the extremum of which is shifted to the southeast of the peak (see Fig. 21). The volcanic edifice has a direct magnetization.

During the dredging of the Belyankin underwater volcano homogeneous olivine basalts were raised. Based on the study of dredged rocks, some authors believe that the volcanic eruptions occurred in underwater conditions, while others - that in land conditions.

Measurement of the magnetic properties of the dredged samples showed that their residual magnetization varies within 10-29 A/m, and the Koenigsberger ratio - within 5.5-16.

To interpret the HMS data, 2.5-dimensional modeling was performed according to the method proposed in the work. As a priori information, the materials of the echo-sounding sounding and NSP were used. One of the most realistic models, in which the best coincidence of the curves of the anomalous and model magnetic fields is observed, is shown in Fig. 6.

It follows from the modeling results that the anomalous magnetic field in the region of the volcano is mainly due to its construction. The role of the deep roots of the volcano is very insignificant. The rocks that make up the volcanic edifice have a direct magnetization and are quite homogeneous in composition, which is in good agreement with the geological sampling data. Modeling performed by two other independent methods gave similar results.

Comparing the modeling results with the NSP and echo sounding data, and taking into account the freshness of the dredged material, it can be assumed that, most likely, the sedimentary sequence was cut through during the formation of the volcanic edifice. The base of the volcano apparently began to form in the Pliocene, while the main part of the edifice formed in the Pleistocene.

The underwater volcano Smirnov is located 12 km north-north-west of about. Macanrushi (see Fig. 21). Its base merges with the base of Macanrushi Island at a depth of about 1800 m. Slopes about. Makanrushi are covered with a thick (up to 0.5 s) cover of "acoustically opaque", probably volcanogenic and volcanogenic-sedimentary deposits. The same deposits overlap the southern part of the base of the Smirnov volcano and, as it were, “flow around” it from the southwest and southeast. From the north, the foot of the volcano is blocked by sedimentary deposits typical for this region of the Sea of Okhotsk, at least 1000 m thick. According to available estimates of the rate of sedimentation in the Sea of Okhotsk, it would take at least 5 million years for the formation of this sequence.

The flat top of the volcano is located at a depth of 950 m and is covered with horizontally layered sediments 100-150 m thick. The maximum size of the base of the volcano is 8 11 km, with an area of ~ 70 km 2, and a flat top - 2? 3 km. The relative height of the volcanic edifice is 850 m, and its volume is about 20 km 3 .

The underwater Smirnov volcano also clearly manifests itself in the magnetic field, and a magnetic field anomaly with an amplitude of 470 nT is confined to it (see Fig. 21). The volcanic edifice has a direct magnetization.

During the dredging of the Smirnov volcano, various breeds, varying in composition from basalts to dacites.

Dredged andesite-basalts have a residual magnetization of 1.5-4.1 A/m and a Koenigsberger ratio of 1.5-6.9, and andesites - 3.1-5.6 A/m and 28-33, respectively.

To interpret the HMS data, 2.5-dimensional modeling was performed according to the method proposed in . One of the most realistic models, in which the best coincidence of the curves of the anomalous and model magnetic fields is observed, is shown in Fig. 6. The discrepancy at the beginning of the profile of the observed and calculated curves of the anomalous magnetic field is due to the influence of the nearby Makanrushi Island. It follows from the simulation results that the anomalous magnetic field in the region of the volcano is due to its structure, and not to deep roots. Despite the heterogeneity of the dredged material, the vast majority of the structure is rather homogeneous in composition of its constituent rocks, which have a direct magnetization. Based on the magnitude of the effective magnetization, such rocks can be high-potassium amphibole-bearing andesites, typical of the rear zone of the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc.

The flat top of the volcano indicates that it once rose to sea level, and then experienced a significant subsidence. Extensive underwater terraces about. Makanrushi are located at depths of about 120-130 m. This practically corresponds to the sea level in the late Pleistocene, i.e. no significant subsidence has occurred in this area since the late Pleistocene. Therefore, we can assume that the lowering of the flat top of the Smirnov volcano to a depth of 950 m occurred before the beginning of the Late Pleistocene. The nature of the relationships between the Smirnov volcano edifice and the sedimentary deposits of the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk and the deposits of the submarine slopes of Okhotsk Island. Makanrushi suggests that this volcano is one of the most ancient parts of the massif about. Macanrushi. Its age is at least Pliocene.

The Kuril Islands got their name from the name of the people who inhabited them before the arrival of the Russians and Japanese. They called themselves Ainu. “Kuru” in the language of these people meant “man” and in meaning did not differ much from “Ainu”. Cossacks from the first Russian expeditions began to call them "smokers" or "smokers", and then the name of the entire archipelago came from here.

The word “kuru” turned out to be consonant with the Russian “smoke” - after all, there is always smoke over the volcanoes, which are many in the Kuriles. However, it must be remembered that, after all, the word that gave the Kuriles their current name is not of Russian, but of Ainu origin.

The Kuriles are a chain of 56 islands, from Kamchatka to the island of Hokkaido, which includes two parallel ridges - the Greater and Lesser Kuril Islands. They separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean.

Waterfall Ilya Muromets

The waterfall, which for a long time was considered the highest in Russia, is located on the island of Iturup. The height of the "hero" is 141 meters - about the same as a 40-story building. The name of the epic hero was given to the waterfall in 1946 by the participants of the Sakhalin research expedition.

Alaid is the highest and northernmost volcano of the Kuril Islands. Its height is 2339 m. There is a legend that Alaid used to be located in the south of Kamchatka, but other mountains expelled it: due to the fact that it was the largest, the volcano obscured the light. Since then, Alaid has been standing alone - on Atlasov Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. And on the Kuril Lake in Kamchatka, the island of the Heart of Alaid remained.

The most active volcano from the Kuril group is located on the island of Matua of the Great Kuril Ridge. It got its name in honor of the Russian navigator and hydrographer Gavriil Sarychev. The height of the volcano is 1446 meters above sea level.

Only in the last century, the Sarychev volcano erupted seven times. One of the most powerful eruptions was recorded in 1946: then a stream of a mixture of volcanic gases, ash and stones reached the sea. The last time the volcano erupted in 2009, this led to an increase in the island's area by 1.5 square kilometers.

Volcano Tyatya, located on the Kunashir Island of the Great Kuril Ridge, is considered one of the most beautiful on the planet. This is a “volcano within a volcano” that has an absolutely regular shape. A younger central cone protrudes above the comb-like part of the ancient volcano. The height of Tyati, by the way, recognized as one of the seven wonders of Sakhalin, is 1819 meters. He is like eiffel tower in Paris: in clear weather, the volcano can be seen from anywhere in Kunashir.

In 1973, the strongest volcanic eruption occurred, as a result of which the ashes settled within a radius of 80 kilometers. Because of this, the nearby large village of Tyatino was abandoned by people. The volcano is considered dangerous for aircraft: it is known that in different years several helicopters crashed near its summit. It is possible that the cause of the catastrophes was poisonous gases, which unexpectedly periodically eject a side crater.

Historic Tyati eruptions occurred in 1812 and 1973. The volcano is still restless now: weak activity is observed in the central crater.

Volcano! How much fear and excitement is contained in this word. Everyone knows that Russia is rich in the presence of active and extinct volcanoes on its territory. Most of them are located on the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka, 28 are active.

5 most famous volcanoes of Kamchatka

1) Undoubtedly, Klyuchevskaya Sopka takes first place due to its height, equal to 4750 m, and the diameter of the crater is about 500 m. This volcano is famous for the correctness of its shape (cone-shaped). Age - approximately 5000 years. Scientists have determined that the volcano has erupted more than 50 times over the past 270 years. It is not surprising that it is considered to be the most active. A common occurrence for the inhabitants was smoke or flashes of lava above it.

2) Volcano Tolbachik belongs to the Klyuchevskaya chain of volcanoes. It belongs to the type of Hawaiian volcanoes. It has two equivalent peaks - Ostry Tolbachik (3600 m) and Plosky Tolbachik (3100 m). As for the type of cone, it belongs to stratovolcanoes. Not so long ago, this place attracted tourists, and many people came here, but on November 27, 2012, an eruption occurred, after which travelers bypass Tolbachik. Even more interesting information you will find about this and other volcanoes on the website.

3) In the east of Kamchatka is located Kronotskaya Sopka- an active volcano (although it erupts quite rarely). Its height is 3550 m. The dimensions of the volcano are really impressive. For such a powerful creation of nature to be born, powerful eruptions had to happen. However, that is how it was in the past. One gets the impression that the volcano is divided into two zones: the top is covered with ice, and the bottom is covered with forest. Near the volcano is Kronotskoye Lake, as well as the famous Valley of Geysers.

4) Active Avachinskaya Sopka, which is called among themselves Avacha, stands not far from Russian city Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It would seem that a high and impregnable volcano (2700 m), however, many people who wish to conquer it with pleasure summer time. The diameter of the crater is 400 m. In 1991, this volcano erupted for the last time, which caused significant damage to the surrounding area.

5) Volcano Shishel is located in the northern part of the Kamchatka Range and has a height of 2500 m. By its type, it belongs to the shield group. The shape is like an ellipse. The volcano does not show activity, therefore it is classified as extinct.

6) Karymskaya Sopka, perhaps one of several volcanoes that can compete with Klyuchevskoy in terms of the number of eruptions. Scientists have noted 20 eruptions in the past 50 years. The height of the volcano is 1536 m. It is located in the central part and belongs to the young ones.

The volcanoes of Russia are harsh giants that have proven their great strength more than once, sweeping away everything in their path. In the eastern part of the country, an echo from recent eruptions can still be heard. Extinct or active volcanoes - they will always attract the eye with their majesty and indescribable picturesque landscape.

Volcanoes of the Kuril Islands

Underwater volcanic group "Paramushirskaya"

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