Southern Kurile Islands

The Kurile Islands
Northern Kuriles | Central Kuriles | Southern Kuriles

The southern Kurile Islands consist of Kunashir, Iturup, Urup, Chirppi, and Broutona islands. The volcanoes that make the islands are:

1. Golovnin 6. Bogatyr Ridge 11. Demon
2. Mendeleev 6.1 Unnamed 11.1. Ivao Group
2.1.Smirnov 7. Grozny Group 11.2 Rudakov
3. Tiatia 8. Baransky 11.3. Tri Sestry
4. Berutarube 9. Chirip 12. Kolokol Group
4.1. Lvinaya Past 9.1. Golets-Tornyi Group 13. Unnamed
5. Astonupuri 10. Medvezhia


The peninsula at the bottom of this photo is the northeast part of Hokkaido, Japan. This Space Shuttle photo looks to the east and the island of Kunashir is near the center of the photo. Golovnin (obscured by cloud) forms the south end of Kunashir. Mendeleev is just north of Golovnin. Smirnov and Tiatia form the north end of the island. The island of Iturup is covered by clouds.

Kunashir Island

Golovnin

Location: 43.9N, 145.5E
Elevation: 1774 feet (541 m)
Golovnin is a caldera. A single historical eruption, in 1848, was explosive but small.

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Mendeleev

Location: 44.0N, 145.7E
Elevation: 2909 feet (887 m)
Mendeleev is a stratovolcano. A
phreatic eruption in 1880 is the only confirmed eruption of Mendeleev. The eruption was in a solfatara field on the northeast side of the volcano.


This photo from the Space Shuttle shows the island of Kunashir and the extreme south end of Iturup. The view is to the northwest. The two prominent volcanoes on the north end of Kunashir (the large island near the center) are Smirnov (left) and Tiatia (right). Berutarube forms the south end of the Island of Iturup. Lvinaya Past forms the bay that can faintly be seen above Berutarube.

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Smirnov

Location: 44.4N, 146.1E
Elevation: 3900 feet (1189 m)

Smirnov is a Holocene stratovolcano. No historical eruptions have been recorded.

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Tiatia

Location: 44.4N, 146.3E
Elevation: 3900 feet (1819 m)

Tiatia, a stratovolcano, has erupted at least five times since 1812. A large (VEI=4) explosive eruption in 1973 was from a flank vent. The most recent confirmed eruption was in 1982.

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Iturup Island

Berutarube

Location: 44.5N, 146.9E
Elevation: 4001 feet (1220 m)

Berutarube is a Holocene stratovolcano. A suspected eruption in 1812 was probably only fumarolic activity. No other activity has been reported.


This photograph from the Space Shuttle shows the bay at Lvinaya Past volcano and the summit of Berutarube.

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Lvinaya Past

Location: 44.6N, 147.0E
Elevation: 1732 feet (528 m)

Lvinaya Past is a stratovolcano. A single eruption has been dated by the carbon-14 method at 7480BC. This was a very large (VEI=6+) explosive eruption that generated pyroclastic flows.

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Astonupuri

Location: 44.8N, 147.1E
Elevation: 3952 feet (1205 m)

Astonupuri is a stratovolcano with two historic eruptions in 1812 and 1932. Both eruptions were small (VEI = 1 and 2, respectively).


This photo looks east to the south end of the island of Iturup. Berutarube volcano forms the south end of the island. Lvinaya Past forms the �ɔ shaped bay on the west coast. Astonupuri forms the finger-like peninsula on the west coast. Much of the remainder of the islnad that is visable is made by Bogatyr Ridge.

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Bogatyr Ridge

Location: 44.8N, 147.4E
Elevation: 5359 feet (1634 m)

Bogatyr Ridge is a Holocene stratovolcano. No historic eruptions have been recorded.

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Unnamed

Location: 45.0N, 147.2E
Elevation: -3050 feet (-930 m)

This unnamed submarine volcano erupted in 1967.

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Grozny Group

Location: 45.0N, 147.9E
Elevation: 3972 feet (1211 m)

The Grozny Group of complex volcanoes erupted five times between 1968 and 1989. All eruptions were small to moderate in intensity and explosive.

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Baransky

Location: 45.1N, 148.0E
Elevation: 3712 feet (1132 m)

Baransky is a stratovolcano. The only historic eruption was in 1951. It was small (VEI=1) and explosive.

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Chirip

Location: 45.4N, 147.9E
Elevation: 5212 feet (1589 m)

Baransky is a stratovolcano. Two historic eruptions, in 1843 and ca. 1860, were small and explosive. The 1860 eruption was from a flank vent.

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Golets-Tornyi Group

Location: 45.3N, 148.4E
Elevation: 1450 feet (442 m) This group consists of pyroclastic cones. Eruptions are suspected in the last 10,000 years but not confirmed.

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Medvezhia

Location: 45.4N, 148.8E
Elevation: 3687 feet (1124 m)

Medvezhia is a somma volcano. Four eruptions between 1778 and 1958 were from the Kudriavy vent. The eruptions were small and explosive (VEI=1-2).

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Demon

Location: 45.5 N, 148.9E
Elevation: 3952 feet (1205 m)

Demon is a Holocene stratovolcano with no known historic eruptions.

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Urup Island


This photograph from the Space Shuttle looks west to the island of Urup. From south to north (bottom to top) the volcanoes on the island are: the Ivao Group, Rudakov, Tri Sestry, and the Kolokol Group. Only the Kolokol Group has erupted in historic time.

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Ivao Group

Location: 45.8N, 149.7E
Elevation: 4677 feet (1426 m)

The Ivao Group in a cinder cone field of Holocene age. No eruptions in historic time have been reported.

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Rudakov

Location: 45.9N, 149.8E
Elevation: 1777 feet (542 m)

Rudakov is a stratovolcano, probably of Holocene age. No eruptions in historic time have been reported.

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Tri Sestry

Location: 45.9N, 149.9E
Elevation: 3273 feet (998 m)

Tri Sestry is a stratovolcano, probably of Holocene age. No eruptions in historic time have been reported.

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Kolokol Group

Location: 46.0N, 150.1E
Elevation: 4356 feet (1328 m)

The Kolokol Group is a somma volcano. Nine eruptions between 1780 and 1973 were from the Berg and Trezubetz vents. The eruptions were small to moderate-large and explosive (VEI=1-3). The 1940 eruption of Berg produced a dome.

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Unnamed

Location: 46.1N, 150.5E
Elevation: -300 feet (-100 m)

There is a suspected but unconfirmed eruption of this submarine volcano in 1978.

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