Avachinsky Volcano Field Station

Avachinsky Volcano Field Station is located in the Russian Far East, on the southern part of the Kamchatka peninsula, near the main cities of the region, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and Yelizovo. The field station is situated at an altitude of about 950 m a.s.l. on a saddle between Koryaksky and Avachinsky volcanoes (53°15’ N, 158°44’ E). The station is located in the Nalychevo Nature Park. The main landscape feature near the station is the valley of the Sukhaya Elizovskaya River, which drains the slopes of the volcanoes in the region.

Nalychevo Nature Park is part of the biggest protected area of the Kamchatka peninsula – the nature park “Volcanoes of Kamchatka”. The nature park was established in 1995 and became part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. The station can accommodate 24 people, and has kitchen and living room. Tenting is allowed both at the station and within the study area.

The surroundings of the field station are characterised by a large variety in landscape, flora, and fauna. The station itself is located in a shrub tundra zone, and the surroundings include altitudinal zonation from forest to glaciers. Both volcanoes near the station are occasionally active – Avachinsky’s last eruption occurred in 2001, and now the crater is covered by a lava neck with a heavy fumarole activity underneath. Koryaksky volcano is dormant, but in 1956 and 2008 it erupted with ash plumes and a pyroclastic flow. The area features pyroclastic slopes, where outcrops carved by rivers expose stratified lapilli tuffs, deep gullies, and a few small fumaroles. The fauna and vegetation within the surroundings of the station is typical for the Kamchatka peninsula, and one of the main species around the station is the arctic ground squirrel. Occasionally, bears, sable, and lynx visit the area. Different kinds of salmonid fish spawn in the rivers of the Nalychevo valley.

Avachinsky Volcano Research Station is the gate to the Nalychevo river valley, which is a protected area with different points of interest for all kinds of tourism. The status of the area as a national park protect it from industrial development and uncontrolled visits, but the abundance of fish in the rivers and proximity to the region’s capital also attract poachers.

The research station can be reached by four-wheel drive vehicles from the nearby cities Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and Elizovo (60 and 30 km away, respectively). In summer off-road buses service the station 2-3 times a week. The nearest airport with daily flights to Moscow and other international airports is Yelizovo (PKC), 29 km from the station.