Kostakan () is a north-south trending chain of

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

s located in the southern part of the

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Geology

Volcanism of the Kostakan cones belongs to a pattern of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

ic volcanism that is recognized to the west of Kamchatka's Eastern Volcanic Zone (GVP). The Kostakan cones are found south of Bakening volcano, from Kostakan Lake southward in a north-south lineament (GVP). They are associated with

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

s and

maar A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow ...

s. (Ponomareva ''et al.'' 2007). Some of these lava flows have lengths of more than (Dorendorf ''et al.'' 2000). Zmeya crater formed inside a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

scar and is the highest cone at of altitude (GVP). Activity commenced in the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

and continued on into the Holocene, with the latest eruption occurring perhaps 1350 at Glavny cone. Other eruptions occurred 1200, 1000, 800, 6550 BP and 8050 BP, with varying uncertainties (GVP). Their composition ranges from

basaltic andesite Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central Ameri ...

, with medium contents of

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

(Ponomareva ''et al.'' 2007).

References

* * * Volcanoes of the Kamchatka Peninsula Cinder cones Mountains of the Kamchatka Peninsula Holocene volcanoes Holocene Asia {{KamchatkaKrai-geo-stub

Geology

See also

References