Grishin S.Yu.
Proceedings of the Russian geographical society 2017; 149(6)
The lava flows of XX-XXI centuries at six volcanic areas of Kamchatka are considered. Lava flows and fields had overlapped area of about 125 km2, most of the suffered territories had mountain and high-mountain barrens, formed by old lava flows and scoria areas of past eruptions (totally about 77 km2). These flows had destroyed forest at area of about 28 km2 (half of the forest was coniferous and the other half was forest of Erman's birch), as well as about 20 km2 of subalpine thickets of alder, Japanese stone pine and meadows. The largest effusions of basaltic lavas have occurred in the Tolbachik Dol volcano area (totaling 85 km2), and on the slopes of the Klyuchevskoy volcano (35 km2). Andesite-basalt flows of Karymsky and Kizimen volcanoes destroyed the volcanic ecosystems of the slopes in relatively small areas. Short andesite flows at the active volcano domes of Shiveluch and Bezymianny volcanoes caused only mediated devastation, often at a considerable distance from the eruptive centers (through the collapse of a dome and forming of pyroclastic flows). Forest fires during the eruptions were not noted, but potentially they may be possible in areas of coniferous forest. Restoring of forest vegetation takes place during an extremely long period (up to 2000 years), ash falls can speed up or slow down a succession during this period.
