Onekotan

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Onekotan Island (Russian: Онекотан), located near the northern end of the Kuril Islands (49°30′N, 154°30′E), is another volcanic island that is part of the "Ring of Fire" that encircles the Pacific Ocean. The area of the island is 315 sq km. It is 42,5 km in length and 11-16,7 km wide. This island is unique because a water-filled caldera is evident at both the north and the south ends of the island.

The more prominent caldera at the southern end of the island is known as the Tao-Rusyr Caldera. The highest elevation on Onekotan Island is Krenitsyn which is 1325 meters above sea level, that lies within the caldera. More recent secondary volcanic cones have formed in both calderas; the northern caldera has almost been filled by the subsidiary cone, Nemo Peak.

There are chars in Lake Chyornoye, one of the two lakes on Onekotan.

Onekotan Island is separated from the neighboring islands by the Fourth Kuril Strait, Yevreinov Strait, and Krenitsyn Strait.

The neighboring islands are Makanrushi Island, with a 1170 meters volcanic peak, to the northwest of Onekotan Island; and Kharimkotan Island, with a 1210 meter high volcano, to the south.

[edit] References

• NASA Earth from Space: Onekotan Island
• Photographs of Onekotan Island
• Char from the lake Chyornoye: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=17022488&cmd=showdetailview&indexed=google]