Fieldworks at Alaid Volcano in 2017, Atlasov Island, the Kuriles

Fieldworks at Alaid volcano in 2018, Atlasov Island, the Kuriles

Field work in 2020 on the Alaid volcano located on the Atlasov Island in the Kuril island arc was carried out in the coastal zone from Cape Devyatka to Cape Kudryavy. Base camp was located in the site of the former fishing base Devyatka. At the time of the research, the Alaid volcano performed only fumarolic activity. We sampled rocks and fresh water. We also sampled copper, found, as in other slopes of Alaid Volcano, in cracks or in a form of solid covers. We also measured magnetic susceptibility of rocks in their natural manifestations. The unexpected but important outcome of field work was the discovery of a new colony of snails from the Bradybaenidae family, what allows us to confidently say that these snails have survived the eruptions of Alaid Volcano in the XX and XXI centuries.

The second phase of field work in 2020 on the Alaid Volcano, located on Atlasov Island in the north of the Kuril Island Arc, was carried out on October 2. There was no snow in the crater at the time, and this made it possible to study the deep part of the crater and take samples of rocks and snow. The measurements of the temperature of fumarole gases showed that for the tested fumaroles it varied in the range of 35° to 95° C. Rock samples were also taken from the Svechka Rock and at Cape Shtormovoy. It was found that there is currently no water in Yuryev Creek, located in the west-northwest part of Atlasov Island. The studies carried out have made it possible to obtain new unique information, which will undoubtedly be useful to various researchers of active volcanoes in the Kuril island arc.

In July-August 2023, field work was carried out on the northern slopes of Kronotsky volcano in the territory of the Kronotsky State Reserve, which is rarely visited by researchers. The aim of our work was to sample lavasthat build the volcanic edifice in this sector, and also to search for traces of the volcano’s explosive activity in the Holocene. This report lists and illustrates interesting findings and the main results of the work. In particular, lava flows, dikes and pyroclastic horizons were sampled at altitudes ranging from 780 to 2200 m; several cinder and lava cones were discovered; samples of cognate inclusions and xenoliths were found. Inaddition, Holocene soil-pyroclastic sections, presumably containing tephra horizons from Kronotsky volcano, were documented in detail and sampled.