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               Figure CS10.2  The Valley of the Geysers, Kamchatka


               water  may  be  vertical,  for  example,  geysers Velikan   Every second there are about 250–300 litres of
               (‘The Giant’) and Bolshoi (‘The Great’), or inclined,   thermal  water  pouring  out  in  the  Geyser Valley.
               as with geysers Triple and Pioneer. The fountain of   The various hydrothermal phenomena of Geyser
               Velikan geyser is 2m in diameter and reaches up to   Valley influence their local environment, such as
               30m. Other geysers are not so huge, although they are   rock, relief, air, soil, flora and fauna. The air has a
               also very impressive. After eruption comes the phase   permanent  chemical  laboratory  smell  as  water
               of  evaporation,  and  when  the  vapour  disappears  it   vapours  produced  by  geysers  and  fumaroles  are
               leaves the drying empty mouth of the geyser. At the   associated  with  hydrogen  sulphide,  methane  and
               same time under the ground the water starts filling for   other  gases. Thermal  grounds  also  do  not  get  a
               the next eruption. The duration of a full cycle varies   permanent snow cover during the winter as the
               from  geyser  to  geyser; Velikan,  for  example,  erupts   intense geothermal activity of this area has a great
               every three hours, the Triple geyser erupts once in   effect  on  the  surrounding  environment,  and  in
               two-and-a-half hours and Smaller geyser erupts every   spring, trees and grasses come to life long before
               30 minutes.                                 they do in other regions. River banks are commonly
                  Pulsating hot springs differ from geysers as they   overgrown  with  warmth-loving  plants,  the
               are  continuously  erupting  with  very  short  calm   vegetation bursts into bud earlier in spring, birds
               periods. For example, Sakharnyi (‘Sugar’) hot spring   start making nests, insects and brown bears wake
               has  eruptions  every  four  to  five  minutes,  with  a   up  earlier  too. The  varied  mineral  compositions
               duration of about two minutes. The small pools of   and temperatures of natural springs has resulted in
               these  hot  springs  are  always  full  of  boiling  water   some of them having associated health and medical
               pouring over the edges and forming small streams.   resorts (EWP Ecotourism, 2009).
               Some of the pulsating hot springs have been geysers
               in the past, but changed their character for natural   The 2007 event
               reasons (mainly micro relief changes) or because of   On 3 June 2007, a devastating mudflow virtually
               human activity (EWP Ecotourism, 2009).      obliterated  this  natural  wonder,  forcing  the





       Ch13.indd   198                                                                             4/7/2010   12:03:44 PM
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