Kamchatka Resorts

KAMCHATKA RESORTS. Kamchatka is the only locality in the USSR where, besides extinct volcanoes, there is a whole series of active ones (sopkas); naturally, the whole of Kamchatka abounds in hot mineral springs of deep-seated, volcanic origin. The mineral springs, the exact number of which is unknown, are scattered across the entire peninsula; the main mass of them is located in its southern part. Most of them are confined to river valleys. In the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk, there are the following systems: the Bolshaya River, consisting of the Bystraya, Bannaya, and Nachika rivers (springs: Malkinsky, Nachikinsky, Banny, Apachinsky); the Ozernaya River (Bolshie and Malye Yavinsky), Galigina (Galiginsky), and others. In the basin of the Great Ocean, there are the systems of the Paratunka, Kamchatka, Avacha, Nalocheva, and other rivers (springs: Nizhne-Paratunsky, Avachinsky, Nalochevsky, and many others). Their temperature varies, starting from the normal level and ending at the boiling point and above (Banny, Nalochevsky, Yavinsky; t° +100.2°). The most abundant are considered to be the Nalochevsky and Banny; there are also those with negligible yield. The solid residue in some reaches more than 3 g per 1 liter (Yavinsky 3.4, Galiginsky 2.79, Banny 1.31, Paratunsky 1.4), but the majority belong to acratotherms (Malkinsky, Apachinsky, Nachikinsky). According to their chemical composition, the Kamchatka springs belong to 3 groups: in the first, Na+ and Cl- ions predominate; they are followed by K+, Ca++, and SO4--; traces of H2S are frequently present. Another group of springs is associated with fumaroles in old craters: they produce large coatings of lime, and their temperature reaches 100° (Uzon spring). To the third category belong the ferruginous-calcareous, highly mineralized springs, which form entire cones of calcareous tufa and clay (Shchapinsky with t° +32°, Pushchinsky, and others). Standing apart in its method of emergence is the Verkhne-Paratunsky spring with t° +70°, gushing from a mountain slope high above the river. Access to most springs is difficult; only the Paratunsky springs are located not far from Petropavlovsk (17 km via Avacha Bay and 4 km by road), while others are located in hard-to-reach areas. Near many springs there are settlements, the inhabitants of which use them for economic needs. As for the therapeutic use of the springs, the obstacle—apart from the difficulty of travel—is the sparse population of Kamchatka given its large territory (15,619 people per 270,000 km²) and the low cultural level of the population. When Petropavlovsk was a naval port (until the middle of the 19th century), there were the beginnings of equipment for some springs: at the Paratunsky springs, there was a house for bathers, and at the Malkinsky springs there even existed a hospital and a pharmacy. Local residents receive treatment at the Kamchatka resorts (mostly for rheumatism) in the most primitive manner—in dug pits and in dammed pools, without bathhouses and without permanent housing.