The Plosky Tolbachik volcano is a large active volcanic complex in Russia. It consists of two volcanoes, Tolbachik and Plosky Tolbachik, which are joined together by a common lava field. The complex has been active for tens of thousands of years and has had several major eruptions, the most recent of which occurred in 2012.
Tolbachik
Tolbachik is the taller and more prominent of the two volcanoes. It is a stratovolcano, which means that it is composed of layers of lava, ash, and rock. Tolbachik has a large crater at its summit that is almost 2 kilometres wide. This crater was formed during an eruption in 1976 and is now filled with lava.<
Plosky Tolbachik
Plosky Tolbachik is a shield volcano, which means that it is made mostly of lava flows. It is much smaller than Tolbachik and does not have a summit crater. Instead, its slopes are covered with lava flows from past eruptions.
The 2012 Eruption
The most recent eruption of the Plosky Tolbachik volcano began in 2012 and lasted for over a year. This eruption was unusual because it happened without any seismic activity or warning signs. The first phase of the eruption consisted of a series of small explosions that created a large cloud of ash and gas. This phase lasted for about two weeks.
The second phase began suddenly on November 27th, when a fissure opened up on the flank of Plosky Tolbachik and began spewing lava. This phase lasted for several months and caused extensive damage to the surrounding environment. The lava flows buried forests, destroyed houses, and killed animals. When the eruption finally ended in 2013, it had deposited over 1 cubic kilometre of lava on the slopes of the volcano.
These stunning pictures of the volcano were taken by daredevil bloggers Liudmila and Andrey.
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