Expeditional exploration of the Kuril Islands in 2021

Abstract

This report gives a brief description of field work on the Kuril Islands in summer 2021 carried out by staff of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of  FEB RAS within the framework of the Institute research theme and projects of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) and Russian Fund for Basic Research (RFBR). To study chemical erosion of volcanic islands and to estimate hydrothermal export of magmatic volatiles, hydrological and hydrochemical works were carried out on the rivers draining the slopes and thermal fields of the Baransky volcano and the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcanic massif (Iturup Island). Detailed hydrochemical studies with water sampling at different depths and a bathymetric survey of Lake Kipyashchey located in the caldera of Golovnin volcano (Kunashir Island) were performed. We also proceeded with studying the CO2 diffusion flux through thermal fields and volcanic lakes. In the course of ongoing regime observations on Ebeko volcano (Paramushir Island), aerial and infrared imaging of its near-crater part was carried out. For the first time since the eruption began in 2016, a quadcopter survey of the lake located in the Srednii (middle) crater of the volcano was conducted. For further analytical studies a large number of water and gas samples were taken, and the collection of sediments was replenished.