Bolshaya Pechka (Big Stove) was a large geyser, which was first described and named by T.I. Ustinova (1945). It was located on the right shore of the Geysernaya River among numerous pulsating springs. The crater on top of the geyser with dimensions of 1 x 0.6 m, resembling in shape a Russian stove, was almost horizontal and led inside the slope. "In 1941 the water in the river was very high, in 1945 and 1951 the water became 1 m lower and we watched the eruptions of the geyser. It begins with strong emissions of water and steam, which continuously follow one another for 2 minutes; the jets fly out almost horizontally; the range of emissions reaches 10 m, individual jets, flying across the river, fall on its left bank; then continuous emissions stop, the amount of steam quickly decreases. After this, the geyser is calm for 4 minutes.” (Ustinova, 1955). “This geyser is the most dangerous of all the geysers in the Valley. The trail lies close to geyser along wet and slippery boulders. The jets that fly out cross the path within the height of a man. If you get caught in a sudden stream of boiling water, burns are inevitable” (Semyonov, 1973). Eruptions occurred frequently, the full cycle of the Big Pechka in 1945–1960 was 8–10 minutes, in 1961–1979 — 10–15 minutes. On October 4–6, 1981, Typhoon Elza swept over Kamchatka. Due to the precipitation, the water level in the Geysernaya River rose by more than 3 m. “The river carried boulders more than 1 m in diameter. It washed away the banks, forming steep cliffs on one side and sandbanks on the other” (Sugrobova, Sugrobov, 1985). The channel of the Bolshaya Pechka geyser, located at the very edge of the water, was filled with gravel and pebbles brought by the raging river; its activity never resumed after 1981. The cessation of Bolshaya Pechka activity after Typhoon Elza was considered as the greatest loss in the Valley of Geysers since its discovery (Leonov, 2017). In 2007, the location of Bolshaya Pechka was first flooded and then covered with a multi-meter layer of mudflow deposits.
References
Леонов А.В. Каталог гейзеров Кроноцкого заповедника. Долина гейзеров и кальдера вулкана Узон: история и современность. М.: Изд-во ООО «Реарт». 2017. 384 с.  Семенов В.И. Долина Гейзеров / В краю вулканов и гейзеров. М.: Физкультура и спорт. // В краю вулканов и гейзеров. 1973. С. 87-121. Сугробова Н.Г., Сугробов В.М. Изменение режима термопроявлений Долины гейзеров под влиянием циклона "Эльза" // Вопросы географии Камчатки. 1985. № 9. С. 88-94. Устинова Т.И. Камчатские гейзеры / Отв. ред. Рихтер Г.Д., Никольская В.В. М.: Географгиз. 1955. 119 с.  |
