Evolution of a fresh-water caldera lake after a major underwater eruption.

This is a team project of scientists of the Institute of Volcanology, Kamchatka

The submarine eruption in the fresh-water Karymsky Lake (Kamchatka) resulted in: the appearance of a new volcanic structure on the bottom of the lake, a change in the lake's hydrological and hydrochemical regimes, and the death of all life in the lake. The endogenous influence was short-lived. The basic task of the scientific investigation is to study the rebuilding process of the hydrochemical, hydrological and hydrobiological state of the lake. Also, one of the main tasks is the search for analogical ecological evidence of the occurence of similar catastrophes in the history of this lake.
Karymsky Lake after the eruption, with the new, crescent-shaped peninsula ringing the crater. More photos of Karymsky.
A more complete scientific description of the eruption and its consequences.
A bathymetric map of the lake after the eruption.

We are always eager to include knowledgable colleagues in our work, so if anything you have seen here has piqued your scientific interest, you can contact our group leader, volcanologist Sergei Fazlullin or our colleague in the USA, Andrew Logan, for more information.