Impact of a major eruption of the Shiveluch volcano (April 2023, Kamchatka) on ecosystems: the extent of burial and destruction of forests according to satellite data

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Abstract

During large-scale eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in April 2023, the active dome collapsed and intense ashfall occurred. Based on the Sentinel-2 satellite images, the scale of burial of the territory by volcanic deposits was determined – ~ 60 km2, and the diversity of buried and dead ecosystems was also estimated. The high-temperature deposits of the collapse blocked the southeastern sector of the volcano over an area of more than 50 km2 in the altitude range of ~ 2000-500 m a.s.l. Below, up to ~150 m, pyroclastic flows descended, the lower mark of one of the 5 tongues is located at a distance of 22 km from the eruptive center. Flow deposits occupied an area of 12 km2. Forest and dwarf vegetation was destroyed in an area of ~24 km2, and was mostly buried (up to 85% of the area), and also died due to the flooding of trees by plumes of pyroclastic flows and the impact of pyroclastic waves. In the zone of pyroclastic flows, the destroyed forests are formed mainly by stone birch and larch, as well as thickets of dwarf alder. An ash layer more than 1 cm thick covered an area of more than 10,000 km2 in central Kamchatka. Ash 6–10 cm thick was deposited in the forest belt on the slopes of the Shiveluch volcano, woody plants mostly survived. Post-eruption phenomena in the form of secondary ash transfer and redeposition of pyroclastics washed out by watercourses will last for many years and will lead to the formation of new zones of damage and destruction of vegetation.

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About the authors

S. Yu. Grishin

Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: grishin@biosoil.ru
Russian Federation, Vladivostok

References

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2. Fig. 1. Shiveluch volcano massif. Areas covered by deposits of large recent eruptions (numbers correspond to the year of the eruption). 1 – Stary Shiveluch summit (height 3283 m); 2 – active dome. Image from Sentinel-2 satellite from 01.07.2023.

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3. Fig. 2. The southeastern slope of Shiveluch volcano: a - the state before the 2023 eruption. The numbers show the predominant vegetation: 1 - larch forests, 2 - stone birch forests, 3 - alder thickets, 4 - a complex of meadows, dwarf pine trees and forests, 5 - mixed valley forests and dwarf pine trees. The year of eruption is indicated in the areas covered by volcanic deposits. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 24.09.2022; b - deposits from the 2023 eruption, deposit zones: I - transit zone, II - zone of large-scale accumulation of pyroclastic deposits, III - zone of long-distance passage of pyroclastic flows. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 01.07.2023.

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4. Fig. 3. Transformation of the surface of pyroclastic deposits: a – thawing of the snow cover on hot pyroclastic deposits of the 2023 eruption. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 24.03.2024; b – the southeastern part of zone II, the valleys of the Kabeku River and its tributaries are buried. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 29.04.2023; c – the same area 13 months later: sediments in areas of buried tributary valleys have subsided; fresh sediments have marked new channels; a dammed lake has formed (top, middle). Sentinel-2 satellite image from 05.06.2024.

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5. Fig. 4. Death and burial of forest stands: a – image from the Sentinel-2 satellite dated 01.07.2023; b – image from the GeoEye-1 satellite dated 29.04.2023. 1 – zones of thick pyroclastic flow deposits that completely buried forests; 2 – areas of destroyed and semi-buried forest; 3 – areas of forest death under the influence of pyroclastic waves; 4 – forest before the beginning of the growing season, with snow cover under the canopy of the tree stand.

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6. Fig. 5. Post-eruptive phenomena: a ‒ tongue of the pyroclastic flow in the Kabeku River valley before its erosion. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 17.05.2023; b ‒ erosion of the territory along the left bank of the Kabeku River by redeposited pyroclastic deposits. Sentinel-2 satellite image from 17.06.2024; c ‒ transport of ash and fine pyroclastic deposits by strong wind from the surface of the deposit field of the 2023 eruption (on the left). Sentinel-2 satellite image from 04.09.2023.

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