Geyser Schel (Crack) is located on the left bank of the Geysernaya River, in a large depression on a steep slope. One of the observation platforms is located directly above the geyser. This geyser is just a crack 2 m long, 0,25 m wide, and 1 m deep (Leonov, 2017). It was first described and named by T.I. Ustinova (1955): “There is no outpouring stage. The fountaining begins completely unexpectedly: suddenly dull blows and splashes of invisible water are heard in the depths of the crack, and in a few seconds an oblique stream 2.5–3 m high hits from the crack at an angle of 50°. The fountaining continues for 1 minute and suddenly stops and the water disappears.” This geyser does not produce a single fountain; during fountaining, several jets beat along the entire length of the crack, the volume of erupted water is 0.46 cub.m. This geyser has a fairly stable regime, which is probably due to its morphology and the features of its location: the geyser has a narrow and deep griffin, it is located in a niche of the river terrace, so wind and precipitation can not effectively cool the water filling the griffin (Belousov, Belousova, 2022). In 1945-1993, the geyser had a stable period of 36-38 min, in 1994-1996 there was a sharp decrease to 22–26 min, then over the next 10 years the regime again became stable (34–37 min), with the exception of 2 days in 2003 (August 31 and September 21), when sharp jumps in the period of 20–40 min were recorded (Droznin archive, 2003). It is likely that these periodicity fluctuations are associated with the flow of a cold stream flowing from above along the slope into the geyser crack. After the landslide on June 3, 2007, the dammed lake flooded the Shchel (Crack) geyser: during 4 days the geyser was at a depth of 9 m (Droznin, Seliverstov, 2007). Then the river broke through the dam, the water level in the lake dropped, and the geyser was freed from water. In the first hours after drying up, it gushed irregularly every 10–20 minutes. On June 8, the geyser began erupting again in the same mode (Pinegina et al., 2008). The 2014 mudflow demolished the observation deck near the geyser and the lower part of the wooden path, the geyser was also slightly damaged (Leonov, 2014). In 2014–2018, the geyser mode was unstable period: in 2015 — 31 min, in 2016 — 7 min, in 2017 — 16 min, in 2018 — 27 min. Over the next 5 years (2019–2023), the period gradually increased: the average values in 2019–2021 are 41–42 min, in 2022–2024 — 46–48 min. The reason for this may be self-cleaning of the griffin and/or changes in the hydrogeological situation caused by the events of 2007 and 2014.
References
Белоусов А.Б., Белоусова М.Г. Изменения периода извержений гейзеров Долины Гейзеров (Камчатка), 1941-2021 // Вулканизм и связанные с ним процессы. Материалы XXV региональной научной конференции, посвящённой Дню вулканолога. Петропавловск-Камчатский, 30-31 марта 2022 г. 2022. С. 111-114.  Дрознин В.А., Селиверстов Н.И. Долина Гейзеров после геологической катастрофы // Вестник КРАУНЦ. Серия: Науки о Земле. 2007. № 2. С. 7-8.  Леонов А.В. Каталог гейзеров Кроноцкого заповедника. Долина гейзеров и кальдера вулкана Узон: история и современность. М.: Изд-во ООО «Реарт». 2017. 384 с. Леонов В.Л. Обвал и оползень, произошедшие 4 января 2014 г. в Долине Гейзеров, Камчатка, и их последствия // Вестник КРАУНЦ. Серия: Науки о Земле. 2014. Вып. 23. № 1. С. 7-20. Пинегина Т.К., Делемень И.Ф., Дрознин В.А., Калачева Е.Г., Чирков С.А., Мелекесцев И.В., Двигало В.Н., Леонов В.Л., Селиверстов Н.И. Камчатская Долина Гейзеров после катастрофы 3 июня 2007 г. // Вестник ДВО РАН. 2008. № 1. С. 33-44. Устинова Т.И. Камчатские гейзеры / Отв. ред. Рихтер Г.Д., Никольская В.В. М.: Географгиз. 1955. 119 с. |
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