Holocene Kamchatka volcanoes | Institute
of Volcanology and Seismology
Kamchatka, Russia |
Global Volcanism Program
number 1000-19 |
Krasheninnikov Northern Cone: 54°37' N, 160°17' E, summit elevation 1856 m |
Krasheninnikov volcano
looks rather dull from afar (Fig.1): it is composed of two large coalesced
cones and is nested in a <39 ka-old caldera (Florensky, 1989; Braitseva
et al., 1995). However, an aerial view of the volcano exhibits its "inner
beauty" (Figs. 2 and 3). The northern cone resembles a matryoshka
doll: it is crowned with a caldera, the caldera encloses a small stratovolcano,
and the crater of this volcano hosts a small lava cone. Multiple adventive
vents are located on the flanks of the volcano and outside the <39
ka-old caldera (map). The latter are aligned along the fissure zones
parallel to the general strike of the Eastern volcanic belt (Fig. 4).
Eruptive products of the volcano itself range from basalt to dacite,
while lavas of the vents outside the Late Pleistocene caldera are dominantly
basalts-basaltic andesites. Petrological and geochemical studies (Volynets
et al., 1989) suggest that all these rock varieties belong to the
same medium-K2O two-pyroxene-plagioclase series and have originated
as a result of fractionation of an initial mafic melt. Thus, all the
considered vents likely belong to the same magmatic system. Landslide
and rockfall deposits derived from the volcano slopes overlap some lava
flows. No historical eruptions of Krasheninnikov volcano are known,
but it was termed active based on fresh morphology (Vlodavets, 1957)
and weak fumarolic activity (Shteinberg, 1964). 40 sections of the Holocene soil-pyroclastic
cover blanketing glacial deposits and more than 60 shorter sections of
the cover overlying individual lava flows and landslide deposits were
measured around the volcano (Ponomareva, 1990). This has allowed compilation
of the summary stratigraphy of fall deposits that records the explosive
activity of the volcano during the Holocene (summary section). Periods
of volcanic rest are recorded by sandy loams or soils. Lava flow and
rockslide deposits have been fitted into the overall stratigraphic succession
by study of the soil-pyroclastic cover overlying each of the units. Radiocarbon
ages of the individual units were determined with the help of dated regional
and local marker ash layers and additional radiocarbon dates (Ponomareva,
1990; Braitseva et al., 1997 b). Radiocarbon ages were converted to calendar
years using the procedure of Stuiver and Reimer (1993) in order to calculate
the duration of repose periods. Summary stratigraphy of all the erupted
products including both tephra and lava allows to reconstruct its eruptive
history (summary section). Eruptions separated from each other by intervals
less than 100 years are combined into active periods. We can identify
repose periods separating active periods or single eruptions and estimate
their duration. Krasheninnikov volcano was repeatedly active during
the Holocene time. At first South Cone was built. Its formation was initially
accompanied by eruptions of the Southern cinder cones outside the caldera
and later by those of the Northern cones. Last eruptions of South Cone
were followed by a 900-year-long quiescence inside the caldera, after
which the conduit shifted 2 km north and the North Cone started to form
on the slope of the older one. If we consider the whole magmatic system
including both intra- and extra-caldera vents, we may see that while
the volcano itself was silent, several eruptions of the Northern cones
occurred (Figs. 2 and 5). That means that the magma came up to the surface
but found it easier to make its way through newly formed dykes than use
the old conduit. In this sense the repose period of the whole volcanic
center was much shorter. The last eruptions of Krasheninnikov volcano (inner lava cone and lava flows X) occurred only about 400-600 years ago, after a repose period of few hundred years (Ponomareva, 1990). Thus, our studies confirmed that Krasheninnikov volcano was recently active (Vlodavets, 1957). Literature Braitseva
OA, Florenskii IV, Ponomareva VV, Litasova SN (1989) The history of
the activity of
Kikhpinych volcano
in the Holocene. Volcanol Seismol 7: 845‑872 Braitseva OA, Melekestsev IV, Ponomareva VV, Sulerzhitsky LD (1995) The ages of calderas, large explosive craters and active volcanoes in the Kuril-Kamchatka region, Russia. Bull Volcanol 57 (6): 383-402 Braitseva
OA, Ponomareva VV, Sulerzhitsky LD, Melekestsev IV, Bailey J (1997b) Holocene
key-marker tephra layers in Kamchatka, Russia. Quaternary Res 47 (2):
125-139 Fedotov SA, Masurenkov YuP (eds) (1991) Active volcanoes
of Kamchatka. Nauka, Moscow. Vol.1, 302 p. Vol.2, 415 p. Ponomareva VV, Tsyurupa AA (1985) On the long silicic lava flows at the Krasheninnikov volcano. Volcanol Seismol 3:. 85-92 Ponomareva VV (1990) The history of Krasheninnikov volcano and the dynamics of its activity. Volcanol Seismol 9: 714-741 Ponomareva VV, Braitseva OA (1991) Volcanic Hazards Assessment in the Area of lake Kronotskoye, Uzon caldera and Valley of Geysers. Volcanol Seismol12: 42-69 Shteinberg
GS (1964) On activity and structure of Krasheninnikov volcano. Bull
Volcanol Stancii 37: 16-20 (in
Russian) Volynets ON, Ponomareva VV, Tsyurupa AA (1989) Petrological and tephrochronological studies of Krasheninnikov volcano, Kamchatka. Int Geol Rev 31(1): 1107-1122 Vlodavets VI (ed) (1957) Catalogue of the active volcanoes of the USSR. Bull volcanol stancii 25, 180 p (in Russian) |