#aFactADay2025
E for Eruption
(background reading: fotd#1309,1336)
#1676: after the eruption of Ksudach volcano, Kamchatka, in 1907, much of the surroundings were caked in "air-fall" pumice. some areas up to several metres deep had all life and water completely wiped, whereas some were just a few cm deep. this made it a perfect case study in succession (ecology, not the tv show). with a metre of pumice, lichen came back first, forming a "desert", followed by "pioneer herbs". in 10-30cm deep pumice, secondary succession was most prominent, whereas primary succession was moreso in 70-100cm. which makes sense. in the sweet inbetween spot is a "complex mosaic" of all sorts of plants coming back and coming for the first time. a 1994 study on this eruption recreated detailed maps of the area before and shortly after the 1907 eruption. they're ugly and old so i won't bother embedding, but they're fascinating to compare. there are a lot more different types of land many years after the eruption compared to before, even if each individual type is much less diverse. of course the lakes and rivers were filled in but then they found their way back very quickly to exactly the same size and shape, just in slightly different places. it's absolutely fascinating. the same study estimates that it'll take 2000 years for the area to "recover" completely to a climax community.













