Biota and Environment of Natural Areas

Grishin S.Yu., Perepelkina P.A., Burdukovskii M.L.

Forms of damaging effect of volcanoes on woody vegetation in Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands

Year: 2025, Number: 4, Pages: 38-56

Drawing on eruptions of recent decades and other volcanic activities in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, this study identifies approximately thirty different forms of volcanic impact damaging woody plants. The mechanisms of damage are associated with mechanical effects (e. g., tephra fallout, pyroclastic density currents, lahars), thermal effects (e. g., pyroclastic surges, lava contact, red-hot bombs and lapilli), and chemical effects (e. g., acid deposition from volcanic gases and ash leachates). Most of these impact types are briefly described and illustrated with photographs of affected tree species and forest stands that experienced the consequences of specific volcanic events.

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