Vachkazhets

Vachkazhets (Vacchazhech, the town of Vackazhach[1])  is a volcano in the south mountain range in Kamchatka. The highest point of Mount Vachkazhets is 1556 m above sea level, located in 80 km west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky[2].

Description

A number of sources still erroneously indicate that Vachkazhets  is an ancient volcano, divided by a violent eruption into three main, clearly defined parts: Mount Letnyaya Poperechnaya (1417 m), Mount Vachkazhitsy (1502 m) and Mount Vachkazhets (1556 m)[3]; also a number of sources say that in the area of the city. Summer Transverse still has two large volcanic cirques, which, apparently, they are the remains of the crater of a single large volcano. The basis of this opinion is the works of A.E. Svyatoslavsky.(1948 and later, geological descriptions by E.P. Klenov, the first geological survey of the Kamchatka Territorial Geological Administration). Also, as an argument in favor of the volcanogenic origin, supporters of the volcanogenic version pointed to the presence of the nearby Nachikinskoye deposit of perlite and obsidian[4].

Moreover, already in the works of the 1960s, a number of authors pointed out the absence of such volcanic manifestations directly in the central parts of the massif, such as lava outpourings and slag deposits, as well as the simultaneous manifestations of numerous faults and the presence of purely glacial landforms. Thus, V.I. Tikhonov points out in 1968 the presence of a series of traceable shear changes in the structure of the South Bystrinsky ridge, to which the Vachkazhets massif belongs directly in the structure of the array itself[5].

The subsequent long-standing dispute about the origin of the ridge ended only in the 21st century in favor of the hypothesis of tectonic uplifts. According to modern data, the formation of intrusive igneous formations in this area began in the late Miocene, 11.6-5.3 million years ago. But the process was lengthy, and 3 million years ago Vachkazhets had not yet been formed. In the Pliocene, this area of southern Kamchatka was a layer of agglomerate tuffs and altered lavas lying on the eroded surface of middle Miocene sandstones. These deposits were the products of eruptions of the nearby Pliocene paleovolcanoes of the Banno-Karymshinsky complex (it includes the Shapochka (1226 m above sea level) and Shemedogan (1147.6 m above sea level) mountains, (Bald, Yagodka, etc.)[6]. The marine deposits of this area also belong to the Pliocene, consisting of sandstones from fragments of volcanic rocks, containing the remains of marine paleofauna and including a certain amount of wood fragments, indicating a coastal type of sediments. [7] But the thrusts that began in the late Miocene and the intense vertical movements caused by these faults in the earth's crust over time, they disrupted the integrity of the Pliocene deposits and formed several tiers of uplifts in this area, formed the basis of the array. Later, as a result of weathering and the work of glaciers in the Upper Pleistocene, the massif became what we see it as today.[8]. At the same time, there are no signs of a separately formed volcano near Vachkazhets. And it does not appear as a volcano in any later publications, as well as reprints, for example, in the works of the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the materials of the State Geological Map of the Russian Federation, Vachkazhets is also not classified as a volcanic complex to the late Miocene intrusive igneous formations of the South Bystrinsky and Plotnikovsky complexes[9].

During the Upper Pleistocene glaciation (60-10 thousand years ago), as in other areas of the peninsula, a glacier with an area of about 120 km² was formed, which descended to a height of 200 m above sea level. The ice thickness reached 150 m. With the onset of the warming era, the glaciers gradually decreased in size and have now disappeared, and the relief forms they developed (corridors, cirques, trough valleys) became popular tourist attractions

Also, the attention of visitors to the massif is attracted by the waterfalls and Lake Takhkoloch, formed by the dam of one of the ancient moraine shafts. Other moraine ridges can be seen in the trough valleys of the massif, as well as in the eastern glacial cirque of the Letnyaya Poperechnaya peak, which is another tourist attraction. At the bottom of the eastern cirque of the Summer Transverse, several low moraines stand out, which indicate the final position of the glacier during the last glacial period.

Tourism

The area is suitable for trekking, birdwatching, and flower viewing in summer. In winter, it is an object for ski tourism and freeriding.

Protection

There are restrictions in place on the territory of the Vachkazhets massif related to its status as a natural monument.[10].

See also

References

  1. ↑ Новограбленов П. Т. (1932). "Каталог вулканов Камчатки". 64, вып. 1 (Изв. Гос. геогр. об-ва. - Л.; М. ed.): 88–99. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ Cite error: The named reference N-57-100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ↑ "Вачкажец на Камчатке". kamchatka-legends.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  4. ↑ "Состав отчета №777. Приложение 10. Обзорная карта проявлений перлитового сырья в районе Начикинского месторождения обсидианов и перлитов Масштаб 1:1000 000". Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. ↑ Тихонов В. И. (1968). "Надвиги на Восточной Камчатке" (3) (Геотектоника ed.): 88–101. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ Рылова С. А., Рогозин А. Н. (2012). "Вулкан Шемедоган (хребет Халзан, Камчатка): геологическое строение, разрезы и геохимические особенности пород". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ↑ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ↑ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ↑ "Лист карты N-57-XXVI". Санкт-Петербургская картографическая фабрика ВСЕГЕИ. 2006. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ Губернатор Камчатского края (2018-12-11). "Постановление Губернатора Камчатского края от 07.11.2018 № 93 "Об установлении охранной зоны памятника природы регионального значения "Горный массив Вачкажец""". Официальный сайт исполнительных органов Государственной власти Камчатского края https://www.kamgov.ru (in Russian). Правительство Камчатского края. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-01. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
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