Surfbirds News

The new geyser – dubbed “Prikolny” or “Peculiar” in English – has appeared in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, in Uzon Caldera, 14 kms away from the world-renowned Valley of Geysers.


Kamchatka's new geyser © World Wildlife Fund

Watch the geyser here

Research on the geyser’s sudden appearance is ongoing, although scientists already have presented theories on its origin, including that serious changes affecting the entire Uzon thermal field caused its appearance, or that it was created from rising water levels in the field’s spring.

Currently, scientists are measuring the temperature of the water, the periodicity of its cycle, its diameter, the depth of its underground structure and its exact geographical position to better understand the Prikolny Geyser.

A geyser is a hot spring characterized by intermittent discharges of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapor phase (steam), and are generally found in volcanic areas. Geyser activity is marked by periodical repetitions of phases of rest, water ejection, erupting of a water-steam mixture, and ending in calm exhalation until ceasing entirely.

The Prikolny Geyser is unique because it uses the same water over and over again. Water from the five meter fountain gets back into the funnel and then it "spits out" the same water again.

In Kamchatka, a large geyser field – the only in Eurasia– was discovered in 1941 in the Geyser River valley (Valley of the Geysers) near Kikhpinich volcano. Altogether Kamchatka had 100 geysers (20 of them of significant size) before a mudslide covered them in June 2007.

There are four large geysers fields in the world: in Iceland, New Zealand, the US and Kamchatka. The last time a new geyser appeared on Kamchatka was in the1960s, and one last appeared in the United States’ Yellowstone National Park in the early 20th century.

WWF has worked in Kamchatka for years in efforts to preserve the region’s unique volcanoes and thermal springs, which also houses a large population of polar bears. Kamchatka’s rich natural resources face threats from poaching, destructive tourism, and potential oil developments.