Glacial cave of Mutnovsky volcano in Kamchatka: a fantastic creation of nature

Stunning glacial caves right on the slope of the volcano - this in our country can only be seen in Kamchatka. In this region, geysers and volcanoes are located side by side with glaciers and glacial caves, each of which is unique. The favorite place for photographers and travelers is glacier caves on the slopes of Mutnovsky volcano, at the foot of which we invite you to take a walk.

Mutnovsky volcano, or Mutnovskaya hill, as the volcanoes of Kamchatka are commonly called, is located south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the territory of the South Kamchatka natural park.

Mutnovskaya hill is one of the most active volcanoes on the peninsula and was last erupted in 2000. Mutnovsky volcano does not have a single crater, and its top has an irregular shape and consists of four cones. Currently, the volcano's activity is manifested in the form of numerous fumaroles - cracks on the slopes and at the foot of which hot gas emerges.

In addition, one of the cones at the top of the volcano is active, where you can also observe the release of gases and their pungent smell. And last summer, specialists from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS discovered a lake in one of the cones, which indicates a new stage in the development of the volcano.

At the foot of the volcano is the Mutnovskoye geothermal water deposit, on the basis of which two geothermal power plants operate immediately: Mutnovskaya and Verkhne-Mutnovskaya.

The height of the Mutnovsky volcano is not as impressive as, for example, that of the Klyuchevskaya volcano, but 2,322 meters is enough for the formation of glaciers on its slopes. Another interesting feature of Mutnovsky volcano is associated with glaciers - glacial caves, amazing in their beauty.

Such caves are formed as a result of glacier melting in the warm season. Water, seeping through the body of the glacier, finds a way out and forms vast cavities. The length of such tunnels can reach 300 meters or more. But it should be noted that the wall thickness in such caves can vary from 10 centimeters to 4-5 meters, so walking through such tunnels without experienced guides can be unsafe.

The caves reach their largest sizes by the end of summer, when meltwater forms voids in the glacier up to 3-4 meters high. With the onset of winter, melting ceases and the glacier re-assumes its rights. Glacial caves are mostly seasonal phenomena that form in different places of the glacier and each year have a new shape.

The splendor of such caves is always a play of light, and two identical photographs of the same place under the ice dome do not exist. Every year, many tourists and professional photographers come to the foot of the Mutnovsky volcano to capture the incredible beauty of its ice caves.