Severgin Volcano

The 8 x 12 km island of Kharimkotan (also spelled Harimkotan) in the northern Kuriles consists of a stratovolcano cut by two breached depressions on the east and NW sides. These horseshoe-shaped craters were formed by slope failure, which produced debris-avalanche deposits that form large broad peninsulas on the east and NW coasts. Evidence of additional slope failures followed by plinian eruptions are found in sea cliffs of the island. Historical explosive eruptions have occurred since the early 18th century. A central cone, Severgin, was largely destroyed during the 1933 eruption, one of the largest in the Kuril Islands during historical time. Impact of a debris avalanche into the sea from the collapse of Severgin produced a tsunami that swept the island's coast and reached Onekotan and Paramushir Islands, killing two people. A large lava dome emplaced during the 1933 eruption now fills the head of the eastern crater.