Investigation of place of contact between the fresh lava flow from the 2012-2013 Tolbachik eruption and forest vegetation revealed an unusual phenomenon such as craters from explosions, partially destroyed old lava cover and soil-pyroclastic cover. Besides, traces of powerful scorching on the trunks of alder thickets adjacent to the craters were also found. Most likely, these craters have resulted from explosions that occurred due to the concentration of methane in the cracks and cavities in the old lava. The methan was caused by wood pyrolysis, buried by red-hot lava of 2012 eruption.

On the basis of the original materials obtained since 1978, the authors examine soil and vegetational cover within the zone of the strongest basalt eruption in Kamchatka. An intense ashfall in the summertime of 1975 caused the fall of enormous quantity of volcanites (0.7 km3). The ashfall destroyed vegetational cover over 100 km2 and damaged it over even larger territory. We consider the vegetational cover that existed prior to the eruption, the impact of the ashfall on the forest and alpine vegetation, and unclosed vegetation of the old lava flows. We calculated the area of the damaged vegetational cover and revealed the damage factors. The authors compared the damage factor of the vegetational cover caused by other ashfalls of the last century in Kurile-Kamchatkan region. Regional soils were studied for the first time.

The book provides a systematic description of active volcanoes of Kamchatka — one of the most active volcanic regions of the world. Distribution, shape and activity of the volcanoes, their position in complex and long-lived volcanic centres, as well as their geologic structure and composition are presented.
The book is illustrated with colour maps, schemes, and sketches. Over 300 colour photographs show volcanic landscapes, diverse volcanic forms (cones, craters, lava flows, calderas, etc.) and various manifestations of post-volcanic activity (hydrotherms, famous Kamchatka geysers).
Concise, lavishly illustrated with colourful and high-quality photographs, the book makes an interesting and useful reading not only for specialists (volcanologists, geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, geographes, etc.) but for a bioad readership as well. The publication is unique and unparalleled in scientific literature. The text is presented in Russian and in English.
This monography is written by scientists from the Institute of volcanology, Far East Division, the Academy of Science of the USSR.

Данная книга — первое переиздание выпущенного в Санкт-Петербурге Российской Императорской академией наук в 1901 году научного труда известного исследователя Камчатки середины XIX века Карла фон Дитмара.
К книге прилагается "Карта Камчатки, пополненная по дневникам своих путешествий К. Дитмаром, 1889". На вклейках — иллюстрации из издания 1901 года: рисунки "Вид Авачинской губы с Петропавловском и Корякской сопкой", "Вид Петропавловска. Середина XIX века", "Порт Петра и Павла. Старинная гравюра" и "Геологическая карта Авачинской губы".
Текст сопровождается иллюстрациями: схематическими рисунками и картосхемами (планами).
Авт. ст. от изд-ва Е.В. Гропянов ; рецензент и науч. ред. И.В. Мелекесцев ; авт. предисл. к камч. изданию И.В. Мелекесцев. — [Переизд. по: Дитмар К. Поездки и пребывание в Камчатке в 1851–1855 гг. — Ч. 1 : Исторический отчет по путевым дневникам. — СПб., 1901].