|
The
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Introduction
The
Green Belt of Fennoscandia
Komi
Forests of North western Russia
Lake
Baikal
|
The
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
The Kamchatkan
Peninsula extends into the North Pacific Ocean along the highly volcanic
zone where the Pacific Ocean and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The
peninsula is subject to rapid geological alteration and is affected
by the unusual weather patterns originating in the Pacific Ocean and
the Sea of Okhotsk.
The region of the World Heritage nomination, the Volcanoes of
Kamchatka, includes some of the most fantastic natural wonders in the
world, a living geological and biological experiment in the creation
of ecosystems. The area contains a full range of volcanic phenomena
including active and dormant volcanoes, hot thermal and mineral springs,
geysers, bubbling mud cauldrons and lava streams.
In the deep canyon of the Geysernaya River, called the Valley
of the Geysers, are numerous gushing and pulsating hot springs, tumbling
waterfalls, jagged mountain peaks, mud holes and turquoise pools. Few
areas of the world match the Valley's aesthetics: the surrounding shallow
waters spread like a blue-green carpet where aquatic plants alternate
with sections of colourful clay. The region is remarkable as well for
its rare vegetation and plant gigantism. Further, one finds the ominous
Valley of Death in which hundreds of animals periodically perish due
to the release of poisonous volcanic gases.
Greenpeace prepared the nomination with the aid of the German
Union for Nature Conservation (NABU), the Kamchatka Regional Committee
for Nature Protection, the All-Russian Nature Conservation Society,
and the Greens of Kamchatka. Plans for future expansion of the World
Heritage territory include the Komandorsky Islands and the area of the
Kluchevskaja Sopka Volcano, the largest in Eurasia.
|
