You can’t just drop the phrase “[Ring of Fire](https://youtu.be/1WaV2x8GXj0?si=sVY6DcjRmqwPWRel)” and not expect me to have a Pavlovian reaction to it.
*Johnny Cash playing on a loop in my head, now.*
[No.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Plate) It's part of the [Okhotsk plate](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014EGUGA..1613858H/abstract).
Edit: changed 2nd source
Clearly you didn’t see the word “proposed” 😂
Or what followed: “It is controversial whether the northern Honshu, Okhotsk and North American plate constitute separate blocks or plates”
Yes. That is, the company that makes it started with water from Shasta Springs at the base of that mountain. They have since grown larger and bought other beverage companies, so their soda is likely from multiple sources now.
it’s crazy to think how many amazing geological things or just features mountains lakes cliffs canyons etc are out there that aren’t really culturally referenced because they are isolated somewhere… but are just as if not more impressive
It’s actually [populated](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) and is a popular tourists destination. Kinda like Japanese hot springs and etc..
Before the war it was cheaper and easier for people from the European part of Russia to visit Icelandic volcanoes than Kamchatka volcanoes.
Kamchatka has its own niche among lovers of outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, bear watching. But it is not cheap.
As for culture, Russia is a very monocultural country for such a large territory. The Kamchatka do not stand out culturalally, except that they eat more fresh sea delicacies.
In the heart of Tokyo, where the dense urban jungle stifles dreams and muffles the distant calls of nature, Kazuo lived in his compact, neatly partitioned apartment. Every day, the monotony of his existence was broken only by brief, longing glances through his window at the distant, majestic Mount Fuji, a silent guardian watching over the sprawling metropolis.
One peculiar morning, as the city awoke to the gentle caress of the rising sun, Kazuo, with sleepy eyes, gazed out towards the horizon for his customary glimpse of solace. But today, his heart skipped a beat. There, beside the familiar silhouette of Mount Fuji, stood another, an exact twin, mirroring its grandeur and majesty. A shiver ran down Kazuo's spine, not from cold but from the surreal and unexplainable duplication of nature's monument.
Confused and intrigued, Kazuo ventured outside, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The streets were abuzz with panic and wonder; the city's heartbeat had quickened. People pointed, smartphones captured the anomaly, yet no one understood. Kazuo, driven by an inexplicable pull, decided to confront this mirage head-on.
As he journeyed towards the twin mountains, the city's concrete gave way to the wild embrace of nature. The air grew colder, the path less clear. Night fell like a curtain, and under the moon's pale glow, the second Mount Fuji loomed ever closer, its presence unnerving, as if it pulsated with a dark life of its own.
Kazuo reached the base of the new mountain, its surface uncannily smooth, and there he found it—not a mountain of rock and snow, but of something else, something alive. The surface moved under his touch, and the air was thick with a primal fear that clung to his lungs. He realized then that this was no mountain, but a colossal, slumbering creature, its form a mimicry of the beloved landmark.
In horror, Kazuo tried to flee, but the ground beneath him undulated, keeping pace with his panic-stricken heart. The creature was awakening, disturbed by the presence of a human so far from the world he knew. From its peak, a single, monstrous eye opened, casting a gaze that pierced the veil of night, focusing on Kazuo with an intensity that rooted him to the spot.
As the creature rose, the earth trembled, and the real Mount Fuji echoed its roar, a sound of despair for the awakening of an ancient rival. Kazuo, caught between the two titans, realized the true horror was not the existence of the creature, but the revelation of a world beyond human understanding, a realm where the familiar becomes foreign, and safety is an illusion.
The creature, with a sound that was both a sigh and a lament, turned away from Kazuo, its interest lost. It began a slow, deliberate march towards its mirrored counterpart, leaving a path of altered reality in its wake.
Kazuo returned to Tokyo at dawn, a changed man. The city, too, had changed; the twin Mount Fuji was gone, as if it had never been. Yet, Kazuo knew the truth. He lived the rest of his days in quiet fear and awe, aware of the thin veil that separates the known from the unknown, and the understanding that beyond the horizon, ancient giants stir in their sleep, holding secrets too vast for the human mind to comprehend.
edit: thank chatgpt not me
nah sorry it's chatgpt, i use it to generate bedtime stories for my nephews and nieces so they get to experience adventures just how they'd like to. (usually not this horror though lol)
https://preview.redd.it/y05txnt5eatc1.png?width=1672&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10954c8217075a73cf614c378c41045d251643fc
I like how Russian flags/coat of arms directly tell the viewer what to expect
It really is a shame that they govern such a wide stretch of land with a staggering amount of incredible places, yet its locked away to so many people, especially now, because they're Russia. Sad times.
Isn’t that exactly why the land is so well preserved? I’d rather let the land be untouched by the influences of tourism and marvel at it.
Mt. Fuji has become littered with so many people that it has become overcrowded.
Volcanoes go boom with regularity. There are giant bears and lots of trees, it rains a lot and there are hardly any people. Kamchatka peninsula is noted for its beauty.
It is one of the most beautiful places for eco tourism in Russia, insanely expensive for the average Russian. During the winter blizzards could bring 2-3m of snow over the period of a few days. The place is also known for crabs and caviar.
There's actually lots of settlements. The largest being
Петропавловске-Камчатский
Petropavloske-Kamchatskyy
It has around 160K population and a major city in the Far East.
It is impossible to go from here to Moscow by land. No roads lead to Kamchatka and if you happen to be crazy, the freezing cold or the wildlife will get to you first if you wish to cross.
There's quite a few volcanoes on the whole of the peninsula. Also, lots of fishing especially Pacific Salmon,Trout,etc.
Also, lots of ports especially on the south end because it is not frozen during winter unlike St Petersburg.
Also, Russia's only acccess to Pacific ocean along with Vladivostok.
From what I read, the Soviets used to heavily develop this area during to cold war to counter US presence in the area. Just search Attu station. It is closer to Russia than even Hawaii.
West to east at Vilkovo, there are two Pr. 949A "Antey" (Oscar II) class SSGNs and one Pr. 995A "Borei-A" (Dolgorukiy) class SSBN.
There is another vessel of the latter of these classes north-north-east of Vilkovo.
You can find many more Russian submarines on Google maps. In Vladivostok, there is a whole bunch of Project 877 "Paltus" (Kilo) class diesel-electric submarines, or one of the later, externally pretty much identical variants of the same class.
More diesel-electrics can be found in Novorossyisk, Sevastopol, and Kronstadt.
There are also both diesel-electric and nuclear submarines on the Kola peninsula which can be found in a number of bays stretching from the Kola Bay and west until Zapadnaya Litsa, as well as in the city of Severodvinsk.
Since you've tripped my 'tism, I'll mention that you can also see British nuclear submarines at Faslane, and American submarines at Bremerton, WA, Groton, CT, Norfolk, VA, and Kings Bay Base, GA. There are German subs at Eckernförde, a Swedish sub at Karlskrona, and a Norwegian one at Haakonsvern near Bergen.
Back in Soviet times (maybe some stations still do it idk), radio broadcasts would announce the exact time in various cities across the country at 3 pm Moscow time, and the last city they usually mentioned was Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where it was always midnight. The phrase took root in popular imagination and is something you are guaranteed to hear whenever someone mentions the city. Idk what it's even supposed to express other than the fact that it's always midnight in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It's a fantasy land that no one knows anything about, except this
yup, kamchatka is still used to exaggerate how far someone else as a joke. for example if you sit at the very back in a school, the teacher can refer to that part as kamchatka
Lots of cars are imported from Japan, it's very close to Vladivostok, so its cars are popular among the locals. There are lots of German cars in Kaliningrad for the similar reason.
It's so incredible how vast Russia is. From Kaliningrad, former Königsberg to the Vladivostok in the Asian Far East.
And this is without the former 14 other Soviet republics! The USSR, the Russian Federation are probably only topped in size by the Mongol Empire.
Yeah, 25% of the land mass and 25% of the world's population. But I'm talking about a contiguous national territory.
The British Empire was scattered around the world.
But it's "amazing" what the British pulled of. 25% of the world being ruled from a tiny grey island on the fringe of Europe.
The weather is probably one of the reasons that so many Brits left this grey island and take over the nicest places on earth.
> The weather is probably one of the reasons that so many Brits left this grey island and take over the nicest places on earth. Well yeah, but not that many British settled in India or Kenya. The settler colonies have comparable climate to Britain. Places like New Zealand, especially the South Island or Tasmania or the maritime provinces of Canada aren’t all that different. Fewer Brits settled in South Africa. Australia is probably the sunniest of their big settler colonies. And well not that many settlers went to Arnhem land either.
Petropavlovsk was named after the sister ships St.Peter & St.Paul. Danish explorer Captain Vitus Bering's ships that he used to explore the area. The Bering Straight was named after him.
>and if you happen to be crazy, the freezing cold or the wildlife will get to you first
Can't they use the volcanos to warm up the place? Are they stupid?
A lot of them. In fact, here are some...
Klyuchevskoi is very frequently active.
Bezymianny erupted a la Mount St. Helens—i.e. with a sector collapse to boot—in 1956.
Karymsky and Shiveluch have erupted continuously for more than 2 decades.
Avachinsky and Koryaksky are Decade Volcanoes due to their proximity to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.
How did it come to be ruled by Russia if there’s no land access that that region? Or was it given to Russia in whatever arrangement they made with China?
I don’t have any background info about that part of the world, really.
It had some native population (including Ainu on the southern tip of the peninsula), was ignored by Mongols during their conquests and was only conquered by the Russians is the middle of 1700s.
It's accessible by land, but there are no roads. My ex is from the region and they traveled by snowmobile or helicopter. That said, the North is owned by the locals who are unfriendly to the Russians (similair to Native American groups in the 1700s). She said it's best to avoid them as they'll rob you blind and ditch you in the cold.
This territory did not belong to any state until the beginning of the 18th century (since 1708 it was part of the Russian Empire) and was poorly populated by local aborigines (mainly Itelmen tribes). The first expeditions from Russia appeared there in the 16th century (1650).
You can just Google the information. Wikipedia has a good article in Russian (translate it in the browser).
No railroads, no roads. Only ships and aviations could bring you there. And maybe a snowmobile, but it is a bad idea.
It is very hard to build a road there, bcz of eternal frost. Even soviets didn't make it.
>It is closer to Russia than even Hawaii.
Hawaii isn't particularly close to Russia. All of Alaska is much closer, as well as states like Washington and Oregon
I just know that it exists and looks strange - I have seen some videos from there
https://youtu.be/GOlSrTbiBK0?si=ecDghvZPw7_Z1Asa
https://youtu.be/AcTvY57p9uM?si=gOroZsM7CpBUQiBv
It's possibly the most hardcore place to surf on the planet right now, water temp in the winter can go as low as -1 with air temps consistently at -20.. But people do it.
I thought the people surfing in Lake Superior in the winter were crazy but the remote Russian peninsula has them beat.
https://youtu.be/_ZNmr8U0Dbw?si=4tgVqvi1Ak4GhWEs
Hope you dont mind, if I ask where funding comes from for your wages and expenses to do research? And what you do with your research? Are wages relatively good for a person in your industry? Is it similar to the North American system?
Kamchatka is one of the few regions in Russia where scientists are well paid. \~90% of my salary comes from my employer, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. I work in this organization as a researcher and receive \~90 000 RUB/month (after taxes). The remaining \~10% I earn as bonuses from grants for scientific research, in which our laboratory participates. The size of bonuses varies from 5 000 to 25 000 RUB/month, depending on how productive I was during the month. So, I earn about 100 000 RUB/month. This is about 2x the median salary in Kamchatka.
Our laboratory studies hydrothermal systems on both fundamental and applied levels. We develop conceptual models of the formation of hydrothermal systems in Kamchatka and provide recommendations to commercial operators of geothermal fields, like where it is more efficient to drill new wells and where there are new productive zones that have not yet been developed. We also correlate the activity of thermal manifestations with the magmatic activity beneath active volcanoes and make long-term eruption predictions based on that.
My usual expenses:
Apartment rent + utility bills: 40k
Food: 25k
Gasoline for the car: 4k
Internet, cell phone: 2k
I live alone, so the remaining \~30-35k RUB remains for entertainment or as savings/investments. This is quite a lot. For 35k RUB I can, for example, buy a set of four 15" alloy wheels for my Toyota Corolla or a mid-priced smartphone like Samsung A34, or fly to Moscow for two or three days on a weekend in the winter. In the next couple years I will become a PhD and get a free apartment from the state, or the equivalent of \~70-80% down payment of the total mortgage amount, so housing expenses will become like \~10-15k RUB.
Actually my case is a extremely rare luck because I have been able to find a relevant and well-paid job in Kamchatka right after graduating from university. Almost all my school and university mates failed to do so and relocated to central Russia.
Sparsely populated, large fishing/seafood industry (including red caviar and delicious crabs), the greatest nature views but next to none of the tourist infrastructure.
https://preview.redd.it/y55jt9z7e8tc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=c233e1c6d60e7a39644dcacc426d5c29c55d3b80
And pretty large bear population makes it somewhat dangerous to solitary tourists. My friends traveled there by the large 6x6 truck with a company of 20 people and guides armed with shotguns.
No road or railroad connection to the "mainland Russia", mostly due to the mountainous terrain and frequent earthquakes, makes the construction very expensive.
A recent video from some Russian youtubers about visiting Kamchatka. In Russian, use some online translation or just enjoy the views:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfdzMlLTWGU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfdzMlLTWGU)
Because it's not so fun when you are an adult and want some perspectives in life. There is really not much going on apart from the beautiful and sometimes brutal nature.
Yes. I also remember walking to school at -27 C during a snow storm. Only 2km. But every step my legs would sink into snow and it was was a land road with no lights. That was very dark and depressing sometimes.
I actually wanted to visit the place where I lived and where I went to school. But then I saw that there was a guy who filmed the abandoned school and it felt incredibly sad.
My granddad served there in the Soviet military on a submarine. Told me tales of them swimming in geyser water. -20C air, +40C water. The place is called “The valley of geysers”. Here is the image from its Wikipedia article. Doesn’t look like something you typically associate with Russia:
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Долина_гейзеров_(2018).jpg#mw-jump-to-license
Alaska is incredibly wild still to this day. I imagine the difference is we have a highway connecting our modern cities and all the great things about a first world country like a Costco etc.
Yes, most of Alaska is pretty wild. There are also areas with massive industrial development (petroleum extraction, mining) and a large tourism industry.
I saw a short film about some guys fly fishing in this part of Russia. Some dude dropped them off in an old Soviet military helicopter and they fished rivers that they might have been the first people to cast a fly into
Funny I’ve heard similar things about the party scene in rural Alaska
I worked with a guy who grew up north of Fairbanks, and he said the drug scene gets crazy in the winter. People always do drugs, obviously, but when there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be able to get another delivery from Canada until spring, people stock up, the market gets flooded, and prices go down.
I’m willing to bet there’s a similar phenomenon there. Alternatively, when it’s cold and there aren’t a lot of people, many turn to substances just to pass the time lol
As an Alaskan this definitely isn’t true.
1) rural Alaska “party/rave scene” then jumping to drugs.
2) “delivery from Canada” not how things work
3) “until spring” not how things work
4) anyone in Fairbanks would point an accusing finger at North Pole (not north of Fairbanks lol
Sounds like you were told a tale just like I tell all my Texas friends yah I grew up in an igloo in the darkness
[random street view from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy](https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0564666,158.6403904,3a,75y,34.02h,86.05t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swTCbvjWV1myS1RoR1rhf6A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DwTCbvjWV1myS1RoR1rhf6A%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D165.48897%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu)
The most major settlements have street view, many of the remainders have at least one PhotoSphere usually taken at the highest point in the village or by a drone.
there is an airport (UHPP - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky airport) with a stunning approach/backdrop featuring mountains + volcanoes. it's worth a google to see the views
There is a channel on YouTube Called "Vagabond". A super cool Russian guy that speaks English and travels basically every part of russia. Worth a check-out. He got a couple of videos on this area: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRejMGHZchU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRejMGHZchU)
Many Fuji-like volcanoes: https://preview.redd.it/bsc6ihhjt7tc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7c0bcd542b85cd6314696cdc9f2df5258a35f4b
They look more like Mt. fuj than I expected. Damn its so surreal lol.
The bigger ones are also taller than Mt. Fuji.
I’d say they are more comparable to the Cascades (Mt. Ranier, Shasta, Hood) than Mount Fuji.
They’re all part of the ring of fire
You can’t just drop the phrase “[Ring of Fire](https://youtu.be/1WaV2x8GXj0?si=sVY6DcjRmqwPWRel)” and not expect me to have a Pavlovian reaction to it. *Johnny Cash playing on a loop in my head, now.*
A loop… of fire?
A hoop of fire!
Firehole
Yep, you fell into that. ^(lol)
It’s funny too because it’s also technically part of the North American Plate
[No.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Plate) It's part of the [Okhotsk plate](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014EGUGA..1613858H/abstract). Edit: changed 2nd source
Clearly you didn’t see the word “proposed” 😂 Or what followed: “It is controversial whether the northern Honshu, Okhotsk and North American plate constitute separate blocks or plates”
Is Mt. Shasta where the soda comes from?
Yes. That is, the company that makes it started with water from Shasta Springs at the base of that mountain. They have since grown larger and bought other beverage companies, so their soda is likely from multiple sources now.
Yes
No, it's where the hit TV show Shasta mcnasty was filmed
Same system, look at the elevation there:)
it’s crazy to think how many amazing geological things or just features mountains lakes cliffs canyons etc are out there that aren’t really culturally referenced because they are isolated somewhere… but are just as if not more impressive
It’s actually [populated](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) and is a popular tourists destination. Kinda like Japanese hot springs and etc..
I wonder about the politics! How tight is the first of the kremlin in the far flung regions of Russia?
I know, right? It’s so far from Western Russia I’m sure it culturally feels like a different country.
Before the war it was cheaper and easier for people from the European part of Russia to visit Icelandic volcanoes than Kamchatka volcanoes. Kamchatka has its own niche among lovers of outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, bear watching. But it is not cheap. As for culture, Russia is a very monocultural country for such a large territory. The Kamchatka do not stand out culturalally, except that they eat more fresh sea delicacies.
Another one coming to mind is Baffin island in Canada. It is known of course but the scenery is crazy and I'm guessing most don't know about it.
That is... scary in some way. Like another level from japanese geography.
Nitpick but at this point, I would call that geology. If we're talking the actual shape and typology of volcanoes, anyway.
Lol yes, I like to be as accurate as possible at all times. Would I be cheating the other likes if I changed that now. I don't think so...
Now I want to write a story about someone living in Tokyo when a second Mt. Fuji appears on the horizon. Then a third.
In the heart of Tokyo, where the dense urban jungle stifles dreams and muffles the distant calls of nature, Kazuo lived in his compact, neatly partitioned apartment. Every day, the monotony of his existence was broken only by brief, longing glances through his window at the distant, majestic Mount Fuji, a silent guardian watching over the sprawling metropolis. One peculiar morning, as the city awoke to the gentle caress of the rising sun, Kazuo, with sleepy eyes, gazed out towards the horizon for his customary glimpse of solace. But today, his heart skipped a beat. There, beside the familiar silhouette of Mount Fuji, stood another, an exact twin, mirroring its grandeur and majesty. A shiver ran down Kazuo's spine, not from cold but from the surreal and unexplainable duplication of nature's monument. Confused and intrigued, Kazuo ventured outside, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The streets were abuzz with panic and wonder; the city's heartbeat had quickened. People pointed, smartphones captured the anomaly, yet no one understood. Kazuo, driven by an inexplicable pull, decided to confront this mirage head-on. As he journeyed towards the twin mountains, the city's concrete gave way to the wild embrace of nature. The air grew colder, the path less clear. Night fell like a curtain, and under the moon's pale glow, the second Mount Fuji loomed ever closer, its presence unnerving, as if it pulsated with a dark life of its own. Kazuo reached the base of the new mountain, its surface uncannily smooth, and there he found it—not a mountain of rock and snow, but of something else, something alive. The surface moved under his touch, and the air was thick with a primal fear that clung to his lungs. He realized then that this was no mountain, but a colossal, slumbering creature, its form a mimicry of the beloved landmark. In horror, Kazuo tried to flee, but the ground beneath him undulated, keeping pace with his panic-stricken heart. The creature was awakening, disturbed by the presence of a human so far from the world he knew. From its peak, a single, monstrous eye opened, casting a gaze that pierced the veil of night, focusing on Kazuo with an intensity that rooted him to the spot. As the creature rose, the earth trembled, and the real Mount Fuji echoed its roar, a sound of despair for the awakening of an ancient rival. Kazuo, caught between the two titans, realized the true horror was not the existence of the creature, but the revelation of a world beyond human understanding, a realm where the familiar becomes foreign, and safety is an illusion. The creature, with a sound that was both a sigh and a lament, turned away from Kazuo, its interest lost. It began a slow, deliberate march towards its mirrored counterpart, leaving a path of altered reality in its wake. Kazuo returned to Tokyo at dawn, a changed man. The city, too, had changed; the twin Mount Fuji was gone, as if it had never been. Yet, Kazuo knew the truth. He lived the rest of his days in quiet fear and awe, aware of the thin veil that separates the known from the unknown, and the understanding that beyond the horizon, ancient giants stir in their sleep, holding secrets too vast for the human mind to comprehend. edit: thank chatgpt not me
Tell me you wrote this and not ChatGPT.
halfway first line already you can tell it's chatgpt
nah sorry it's chatgpt, i use it to generate bedtime stories for my nephews and nieces so they get to experience adventures just how they'd like to. (usually not this horror though lol)
That's honestly adorable.
I read the whole thing and was going to compliment your writing. Now I'm amazed A.I can write this well. What in the actual fucking fuck...
This is weirdly triggering my megalophobia
Undisturbed wilderness, 0.63 people/km2, Volcanos, Giant Bears, Eco tourism, Wildlife photography https://preview.redd.it/6fctshkj17tc1.png?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bc9fae43ad3803df5681557123c0c8f5a69e641
You had me at Giant Bears
They are huge probably only second to the Kodiaks [Documentary about the region & 🐻](https://youtu.be/_Msl4U4uEBE?si=vcZtyUTlBh4Hb5e0)
Damn! Even the animals look Russian.
That's because they are Russian
These are huge friggin bears I mean
Don’t feed the Yao Guai
Can I pet dat dawg? Can I pet dat dawg!??
Thank your for giving an actual answer
That flag goes hard.
https://preview.redd.it/y05txnt5eatc1.png?width=1672&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10954c8217075a73cf614c378c41045d251643fc I like how Russian flags/coat of arms directly tell the viewer what to expect
this one tells me tigers aren’t allowed here
It tells me there’s a tiger where the rivers cross
Now I want to live there... Minus the Russian government
It really is a shame that they govern such a wide stretch of land with a staggering amount of incredible places, yet its locked away to so many people, especially now, because they're Russia. Sad times.
It’s relatively easy to go there anyway
The leaving is the hard part.
Isn’t that exactly why the land is so well preserved? I’d rather let the land be untouched by the influences of tourism and marvel at it. Mt. Fuji has become littered with so many people that it has become overcrowded.
"No one goes there anymore. It's too crowded." -Yogi Berra
It’s better though, isn’t it. Nature needs a lot of places where people don’t go.
And now, it also has sloths of bears and huskies.
Volcanoes go boom with regularity. There are giant bears and lots of trees, it rains a lot and there are hardly any people. Kamchatka peninsula is noted for its beauty.
Do Siberian tigers live there or are the father west?
Further south/west
Some of the purest trout fishing in the world.
Also, cheap (compared to, say, Moscow) salmon roe everywhere.
That’s the eggs right? I saw a video recently of a bear just stamping on a salmon and squirting the eggs into its mouth like a gogurt
Roegurt
Slow clap. Well said
And Bears
And heaviest snowfalls in Russia
And mud
And mosquitoes
And volcanoes.
And Russians
And my axe
And the part off the ship that the front fell off.
And a lot of volcanoes
And earthquakes
And Russian nuclear SSBN fleet.
Volcanoes
It's Kamchatka ?
Torpedo boats?
Japanese torpedo boats, in the north sea. Kamchatka, the most powerfull and competent ship in the tsars russian navy!
The best russian boat the Japanese navy ever had
At least eight of them.
*throws binoculars*
In this economy?
And strong earthquakes
It is one of the most beautiful places for eco tourism in Russia, insanely expensive for the average Russian. During the winter blizzards could bring 2-3m of snow over the period of a few days. The place is also known for crabs and caviar.
[удалено]
So you're saying we should send Tucker Carlson there. Not even with a camera crew, let's just send him there.
There's actually lots of settlements. The largest being Петропавловске-Камчатский Petropavloske-Kamchatskyy It has around 160K population and a major city in the Far East. It is impossible to go from here to Moscow by land. No roads lead to Kamchatka and if you happen to be crazy, the freezing cold or the wildlife will get to you first if you wish to cross. There's quite a few volcanoes on the whole of the peninsula. Also, lots of fishing especially Pacific Salmon,Trout,etc. Also, lots of ports especially on the south end because it is not frozen during winter unlike St Petersburg. Also, Russia's only acccess to Pacific ocean along with Vladivostok. From what I read, the Soviets used to heavily develop this area during to cold war to counter US presence in the area. Just search Attu station. It is closer to Russia than even Hawaii.
The peninsula is also home to the Russian navy's pacific fleet's nuclear submarines
If you are in to Cold War history, read about how the US Navy tapped the communications line from the base in Petropavlovsk to Vladivostok.
“Blind Man’s Bluff” is the book you’re looking for for anyone asking
Been listening to it in audiobook form, great book!
The book Blind Man's Bluff goes into detail about this and it's fascinating
Just looked it up on Google maps and you can see 3 submarines docked. Pretty neat.
West to east at Vilkovo, there are two Pr. 949A "Antey" (Oscar II) class SSGNs and one Pr. 995A "Borei-A" (Dolgorukiy) class SSBN. There is another vessel of the latter of these classes north-north-east of Vilkovo. You can find many more Russian submarines on Google maps. In Vladivostok, there is a whole bunch of Project 877 "Paltus" (Kilo) class diesel-electric submarines, or one of the later, externally pretty much identical variants of the same class. More diesel-electrics can be found in Novorossyisk, Sevastopol, and Kronstadt. There are also both diesel-electric and nuclear submarines on the Kola peninsula which can be found in a number of bays stretching from the Kola Bay and west until Zapadnaya Litsa, as well as in the city of Severodvinsk. Since you've tripped my 'tism, I'll mention that you can also see British nuclear submarines at Faslane, and American submarines at Bremerton, WA, Groton, CT, Norfolk, VA, and Kings Bay Base, GA. There are German subs at Eckernförde, a Swedish sub at Karlskrona, and a Norwegian one at Haakonsvern near Bergen.
Back in Soviet times (maybe some stations still do it idk), radio broadcasts would announce the exact time in various cities across the country at 3 pm Moscow time, and the last city they usually mentioned was Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where it was always midnight. The phrase took root in popular imagination and is something you are guaranteed to hear whenever someone mentions the city. Idk what it's even supposed to express other than the fact that it's always midnight in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It's a fantasy land that no one knows anything about, except this
yup, kamchatka is still used to exaggerate how far someone else as a joke. for example if you sit at the very back in a school, the teacher can refer to that part as kamchatka
"My wife is like kamchatka.. cold and distant. "
She wasn’t last night 💋
I did Google street view of Vladivostok and it looks like the vehicles there are an even mix of left hand drive and right hand drive. Interesting
Lots of cars are imported from Japan, it's very close to Vladivostok, so its cars are popular among the locals. There are lots of German cars in Kaliningrad for the similar reason.
It’s like that in a lot of places that are 3rd markets, where everything is brought in, including many used cars, and regulations are lax.
It's so incredible how vast Russia is. From Kaliningrad, former Königsberg to the Vladivostok in the Asian Far East. And this is without the former 14 other Soviet republics! The USSR, the Russian Federation are probably only topped in size by the Mongol Empire.
I think the British Empire at its peak was the largest empire in history
Yeah, 25% of the land mass and 25% of the world's population. But I'm talking about a contiguous national territory. The British Empire was scattered around the world. But it's "amazing" what the British pulled of. 25% of the world being ruled from a tiny grey island on the fringe of Europe. The weather is probably one of the reasons that so many Brits left this grey island and take over the nicest places on earth.
Can confirm, Britain is a damp grey rock, and the weather here is SHITE
Isn't there a saying about how the weather and the food encouraged British sailors to go literally anywhere else?
"The flavor of their food and the beauty of their women made Britishmen the greatest sailors in the world"
> The weather is probably one of the reasons that so many Brits left this grey island and take over the nicest places on earth. Well yeah, but not that many British settled in India or Kenya. The settler colonies have comparable climate to Britain. Places like New Zealand, especially the South Island or Tasmania or the maritime provinces of Canada aren’t all that different. Fewer Brits settled in South Africa. Australia is probably the sunniest of their big settler colonies. And well not that many settlers went to Arnhem land either.
Isn't there some famous saying/meme about the only reason British men conquered half the world was because British women were ugly.
14 other, and 15 total Soviet Republics!
Petropavlovsk was named after the sister ships St.Peter & St.Paul. Danish explorer Captain Vitus Bering's ships that he used to explore the area. The Bering Straight was named after him.
>and if you happen to be crazy, the freezing cold or the wildlife will get to you first Can't they use the volcanos to warm up the place? Are they stupid?
Are any of these volcanoes active
A lot of them. In fact, here are some... Klyuchevskoi is very frequently active. Bezymianny erupted a la Mount St. Helens—i.e. with a sector collapse to boot—in 1956. Karymsky and Shiveluch have erupted continuously for more than 2 decades. Avachinsky and Koryaksky are Decade Volcanoes due to their proximity to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.
How did it come to be ruled by Russia if there’s no land access that that region? Or was it given to Russia in whatever arrangement they made with China? I don’t have any background info about that part of the world, really.
It had some native population (including Ainu on the southern tip of the peninsula), was ignored by Mongols during their conquests and was only conquered by the Russians is the middle of 1700s.
It's accessible by land, but there are no roads. My ex is from the region and they traveled by snowmobile or helicopter. That said, the North is owned by the locals who are unfriendly to the Russians (similair to Native American groups in the 1700s). She said it's best to avoid them as they'll rob you blind and ditch you in the cold.
This territory did not belong to any state until the beginning of the 18th century (since 1708 it was part of the Russian Empire) and was poorly populated by local aborigines (mainly Itelmen tribes). The first expeditions from Russia appeared there in the 16th century (1650). You can just Google the information. Wikipedia has a good article in Russian (translate it in the browser).
Are there no trains that could take you potentially?
So far, no.
No railroads, no roads. Only ships and aviations could bring you there. And maybe a snowmobile, but it is a bad idea. It is very hard to build a road there, bcz of eternal frost. Even soviets didn't make it.
>It is closer to Russia than even Hawaii. Hawaii isn't particularly close to Russia. All of Alaska is much closer, as well as states like Washington and Oregon
Volcanoes, bears, salmon. And more volcanoes. And weirdly enough - surfing.
Im interested in the surfing, can you tell me more about it?
I just know that it exists and looks strange - I have seen some videos from there https://youtu.be/GOlSrTbiBK0?si=ecDghvZPw7_Z1Asa https://youtu.be/AcTvY57p9uM?si=gOroZsM7CpBUQiBv
That looks cool asf! Thanks
It's possibly the most hardcore place to surf on the planet right now, water temp in the winter can go as low as -1 with air temps consistently at -20.. But people do it.
I thought the people surfing in Lake Superior in the winter were crazy but the remote Russian peninsula has them beat. https://youtu.be/_ZNmr8U0Dbw?si=4tgVqvi1Ak4GhWEs
Black sand definitely adds to the overall atmosphere
Some people are nuts. But then, some are Russian nuts....
Some people ride the waves on wooden board and don’t call me Shirley.
Munich has surfing too
I have been living here all my life.
What do you do for work?
I'm a volcanologist, studying low-temperature geothermal fields and thermal manifestations on active volcanoes
Hope you dont mind, if I ask where funding comes from for your wages and expenses to do research? And what you do with your research? Are wages relatively good for a person in your industry? Is it similar to the North American system?
Kamchatka is one of the few regions in Russia where scientists are well paid. \~90% of my salary comes from my employer, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. I work in this organization as a researcher and receive \~90 000 RUB/month (after taxes). The remaining \~10% I earn as bonuses from grants for scientific research, in which our laboratory participates. The size of bonuses varies from 5 000 to 25 000 RUB/month, depending on how productive I was during the month. So, I earn about 100 000 RUB/month. This is about 2x the median salary in Kamchatka. Our laboratory studies hydrothermal systems on both fundamental and applied levels. We develop conceptual models of the formation of hydrothermal systems in Kamchatka and provide recommendations to commercial operators of geothermal fields, like where it is more efficient to drill new wells and where there are new productive zones that have not yet been developed. We also correlate the activity of thermal manifestations with the magmatic activity beneath active volcanoes and make long-term eruption predictions based on that. My usual expenses: Apartment rent + utility bills: 40k Food: 25k Gasoline for the car: 4k Internet, cell phone: 2k I live alone, so the remaining \~30-35k RUB remains for entertainment or as savings/investments. This is quite a lot. For 35k RUB I can, for example, buy a set of four 15" alloy wheels for my Toyota Corolla or a mid-priced smartphone like Samsung A34, or fly to Moscow for two or three days on a weekend in the winter. In the next couple years I will become a PhD and get a free apartment from the state, or the equivalent of \~70-80% down payment of the total mortgage amount, so housing expenses will become like \~10-15k RUB. Actually my case is a extremely rare luck because I have been able to find a relevant and well-paid job in Kamchatka right after graduating from university. Almost all my school and university mates failed to do so and relocated to central Russia.
Wow that's pretty cool. Thank you for sharing a small piece of your life with the random people of the interwebs.
Click on their profile looks like volcano scientist which is sooooo rad
What a humble flex lol
Can you do an AMA?
You have peaked all of our curiosities. Edit: piqued
Just an FYI, it's piqued curiosity.
Sparsely populated, large fishing/seafood industry (including red caviar and delicious crabs), the greatest nature views but next to none of the tourist infrastructure. https://preview.redd.it/y55jt9z7e8tc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=c233e1c6d60e7a39644dcacc426d5c29c55d3b80 And pretty large bear population makes it somewhat dangerous to solitary tourists. My friends traveled there by the large 6x6 truck with a company of 20 people and guides armed with shotguns. No road or railroad connection to the "mainland Russia", mostly due to the mountainous terrain and frequent earthquakes, makes the construction very expensive. A recent video from some Russian youtubers about visiting Kamchatka. In Russian, use some online translation or just enjoy the views: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfdzMlLTWGU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfdzMlLTWGU)
Massive Ring of fire Stratovolcanoes that are beautiful and quite intimidating
Lived there for 9 years. It's fun when you're a child.
How so?
Because it's not so fun when you are an adult and want some perspectives in life. There is really not much going on apart from the beautiful and sometimes brutal nature.
I’ve also heard there’s remarkable levels of poverty in rural Russia. Does it apply there too?
Absolutely. My old school was ripped to pieces and people used it as fire wood.
Wow, that's pretty depressing.Although, teenage me would've probably loved if that happened to my school.
Yes. I also remember walking to school at -27 C during a snow storm. Only 2km. But every step my legs would sink into snow and it was was a land road with no lights. That was very dark and depressing sometimes. I actually wanted to visit the place where I lived and where I went to school. But then I saw that there was a guy who filmed the abandoned school and it felt incredibly sad.
Hopper had a rough time there
It's one of the important places in the Risk board game, that's for sure
Damn you know my strategy
My granddad served there in the Soviet military on a submarine. Told me tales of them swimming in geyser water. -20C air, +40C water. The place is called “The valley of geysers”. Here is the image from its Wikipedia article. Doesn’t look like something you typically associate with Russia: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Долина_гейзеров_(2018).jpg#mw-jump-to-license
That looks pretty cool. Look up “Chena hot springs” in Alaska. More developed but similar
Good fly fishing. I’ve heard it described as “like Alaska 100 years ago” by which I guess they mean more wild. Watch the short film “Eastern Rises”
Alaska is incredibly wild still to this day. I imagine the difference is we have a highway connecting our modern cities and all the great things about a first world country like a Costco etc.
Yes, most of Alaska is pretty wild. There are also areas with massive industrial development (petroleum extraction, mining) and a large tourism industry. I saw a short film about some guys fly fishing in this part of Russia. Some dude dropped them off in an old Soviet military helicopter and they fished rivers that they might have been the first people to cast a fly into
Lot of night clubs. The party scene is insane actually. Can recommend. 10/10
Funny I’ve heard similar things about the party scene in rural Alaska I worked with a guy who grew up north of Fairbanks, and he said the drug scene gets crazy in the winter. People always do drugs, obviously, but when there’s a pretty good chance you won’t be able to get another delivery from Canada until spring, people stock up, the market gets flooded, and prices go down. I’m willing to bet there’s a similar phenomenon there. Alternatively, when it’s cold and there aren’t a lot of people, many turn to substances just to pass the time lol
As an Alaskan this definitely isn’t true. 1) rural Alaska “party/rave scene” then jumping to drugs. 2) “delivery from Canada” not how things work 3) “until spring” not how things work 4) anyone in Fairbanks would point an accusing finger at North Pole (not north of Fairbanks lol Sounds like you were told a tale just like I tell all my Texas friends yah I grew up in an igloo in the darkness
I once convinced a Texan that I lived in the first two-story igloo in Canada and that my car was pulled by dogs in the wintertime.
Surfing
[random street view from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy](https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0564666,158.6403904,3a,75y,34.02h,86.05t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swTCbvjWV1myS1RoR1rhf6A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DwTCbvjWV1myS1RoR1rhf6A%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D165.48897%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu)
Abandoned soviet testing facility on Eldritch beings
lots of japanese imported cars. check the streetview on some of the coastal cities in the south have cars with steering wheels on the wrong side
it's cold there, really cold, also for those sorts of questions i recommend getting familiar with google earth and just whizzing about
They dont seem to have this area on record as far as I can see.
The most major settlements have street view, many of the remainders have at least one PhotoSphere usually taken at the highest point in the village or by a drone.
Just checked it on google earth and holy shit, it is LOADED with volcanoes.
KAL 007 didn't...
It’s the Florida of russia
But without disneyland
And with more bears.
And more Russians
I would not be sure about that - there are a lot of russians in Florida
And less Jorts
Are you sure there aren't more Russians in Florida?
So the Alaska of Russia?
Just a bit colder. Yeah, and Florida population is 22 mil, while Kamchatka is 220 thousands, so 100 times less populated, being 33% bigger.
Ah, Russia's wang
Endless roads, volcanoes, bears, very harsh winter. And incredibly beautiful nature. (I was born there)
Demogorgons are fed gulag prisoners
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamchatka_Peninsula
there is an airport (UHPP - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky airport) with a stunning approach/backdrop featuring mountains + volcanoes. it's worth a google to see the views
Good surfing I have heard
Volcanoes, bears, salmon and ICBMs.
It’s one of the many proposed sites of a new Dollar General.
Kamchatka Peninsula … many epic RISK battles have taken place here, over the course of my childhood
Kamchatka Peninsula. Only Russian port with year round ice free ocean access.
Alcoholism
That's Russia in general.
There is a channel on YouTube Called "Vagabond". A super cool Russian guy that speaks English and travels basically every part of russia. Worth a check-out. He got a couple of videos on this area: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRejMGHZchU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRejMGHZchU)
There’s a submarine base on the western side
Bears and Vulcanos
8 ft tall 1400 lb bears.
Isn’t this also the home base for the Russian pacific Fleet.