The Valley of Geysers was discovered on Kamchatka 77 years ago.
The Valley of Geysers is the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. It is located on the Kamchatka peninsula in the Kronotsky State Reserve. It is a deep canyon of the Geysernaya river, in the sides of which there are numerous hot springs. Part of the territory is included in the caldera of the Uzon volcano.
The discovery belongs to geologist Tatiana Ustinova. When in the 1940s she came to work to the Kronotsky Reserve, neither the Valley nor the Geysernaya River was found on the map. Only the Shumnaya River was known, and Ustinova paid attention to it because it contained mineral water. Then she suggested that the Shumnaya had an inflow going from the Uzon volcano.
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In April 1941, together with Anisifor Krupenin, they went on research. They first dogsledded, then went on skis, and then by foot. The trip almost cost them their lives, when on the way back they got into a severe snowstorm. But the goal was achieved: together with a warm inflow they found a natural miracle, now known as the Valley of Geysers. Tatyana Ustinova tells how it happened in her memoirs.
"We’ve taken a seat to have some rest and eat what we have taken with us. Suddenly, a stream of boiling water struck from a small floating platform accompanied by steam clubs. We were scared and didn’t know what would happen next. The behavior of volcanoes is unpredictable ... And suddenly the eruption of boiling water ceased, for some time the emissions of the steam clubs continued, and then everything died down. Then I came to my senses and cried out:" It is a geyser! "
It was the joy of discovery. The Geyser was named A Firstborn. Later 20 large geysers and several hundred thermal water outlets were discovered in the radius of six square kilometers from the first one. The water is almost boiling, the temperature exceeds 95 ° C.
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Each geyser has its own name and character. "Giant", "Triple", "Sugar", "Grotto"...
There are three places in the world where large geysers are concentrated – in Iceland, New Zealand and the USA. However, the Kamchatka valley is distinguished by the fact that almost all known types of thermal manifestations can be observed here on such a small area.
Besides geysers, these are mud boilers, pulsating hot and soaring springs, thermal areas, hot and warm lakes, streams and waterfalls. Here there are colorful algae and other vegetation. In the Valley of Geysers there is abnormally rich biodiversity due to high contrast of natural conditions and microclimate.
The ecosystem of the Valley of Geysers is unique and very vulnerable to external influences; therefore the recreational load on it is limited. From the very first days of the discovery, Kamchatka's geysers have attracted tourists. And the peak of interest was in the 1970s, when the famous film "The Land of Sannikov" was made in the Valley. In 1977 the reserve was close for visitors. And it was again open to tourists only in 1993. However, the number of visitors, time and routes are strictly regulated.
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It should be added that despite its environmental vulnerability, the Valley of Geysers has shown admirable capacity for self-recovery. In 2007, a mudflow hit the valley. Main geysers and springs were buried under stones and mud. The mudflow blocked the Geysernaya River, the level of water increased and the part of the Valley was flooded. However, already in 2013, a new landslide destroyed this natural dam and freed the springs. Now their number has increased.