The volcano of Girvas. Karelia and its attractions

Karelia is a region popular with active tourists. In addition to rafting along the fast mountain rivers, fishing and skiing, this region offers a variety of hidden natural attractions. These include ancient petroglyphs, the Paanajärvi National Park, seasonal waterfalls and the ancient volcano Girvas. Karelia receives guests all year round. In this article we will tell only about one of the attractions of the region - the volcano Girvase. It may seem strange, but it was discovered only in the sixties of the last century. How is this possible? Was it impossible to "notice" the volcano before? We will also talk about the history of the opening of this landmark in Karelia in the article. On how to get to where to stop and when it's better to go to the edge of rivers and lakes, read below.

Strange Volcano

Girvas (Karelia) was active three billion years ago. Then, after nine hundred million years, he woke up again, after which he finally died out. Natural factors - wind, rain, glaciation - almost completely destroyed the maw and the crater. In the renewed relief on the top of the once powerful fire-breathing mountain rivers began to flow. And here in the sixties of the twentieth century, on one of the streams, people decided to build a hydroelectric power station. The water level in the river Suna from this decreased. So the ancient volcano was bare. He was called Girvas on the village of the same name, which is nearby, on the other side of the river. And the village takes its name from the Karelian word hirvas-elk.

Girvas (Karelia): how to reach

The nearest railway station to the volcano and settlement is Kondopoga, which is located fifty kilometers away. Therefore, it is more convenient to choose this natural sight of Karelia by road. Begin your journey from the capital of the region, the city of Petrozavodsk. We need to move along the motorway P21, which in the people is called the Kol route, towards Murmansk. After seeing the sign on the settlement of Girvas, you should turn off the road. It is most difficult to find your bearings in the village itself. So, we stop at the village of Girvas (Karelia), get to its not very busy center (there are shops) and turn left. When the houses of the village are over, a bridge across the river Suna and the notorious Paleozersk hydroelectric power station will appear, thanks to which the volcano was discovered. We move to the other side. Parking is on the left, and on the right is our point of interest.

What does Girvas (Karelia) look like?

The photo presents us a picture that is completely different from the one imagined by the word "volcano". There is no mountain, no crater, not to mention smoke from the mouth. But scientists have determined that Girvas refers to the Icelandic type of volcanic activity. For its long history (more than three billion years), the mountain repeatedly spewed flames, threw out "bombs" and flooded the neighborhood with lava flows. Nature pretty much tried to erase from the face of the earth every reminder of the volcano. But, thanks to the shallow channel of Suna, one and a half meter magmatic "language" is still visible. And the lava field, according to studies, extends over a thousand square kilometers. The shore of Suna is a few terraces created by frozen magma. In the depths of hidden "unexploded bombs" - the volcano's emissions at the time of its activity. These stone balls are hollow.

Other attractions

Not far from the village of Girvas (Karelia) is the river threshold Por. This is also an object of tourism. In the village itself you can see the newly opened Orthodox church of the martyr Panteleimon. The forests near Girvas are unusually rich in mushrooms. All the reviews say that the best time to go see the attraction is the golden autumn. Firstly, on the rivers of Karelia at this time, the low water level is the lowest seasonal water level. And secondly, you can see how the dam is opened to free the reservoir in the upper Suna. The formed waterfall, though it has an anthropogenic origin, is very beautiful.

Girvas with the eyes of a specialist

Many excursions are sent to the volcano and an artificial stream at the hydroelectric station. And while ordinary tourists admire the pine forest and jump over exposed lava terraces, a specialist can discover a lot of interesting things. After all, Girvas (Karelia) is the oldest paleo-volcano found on earth. Its area is truly huge (about a thousand square kilometers). It extends from the village of Girvas to Swatnavolok. Volcanic rocks of different eruptions moved with sedimentary layers. Near the Paleozersk HPP, you can see the muzzle and the tube of an explosion of one of the side cones. Lava flows reach a thickness of several hundred meters. In their texture, it is often possible to find volcanic bombs. Their shell consists of frozen lava, and inside there is gas. Scientists know that a crater measuring twenty to fifty meters stretches to the north-east. The oldest of the found paleovolcanoes (its visible part) is located in a very beautiful area, where among the pine forests there is a picturesque Suna river.

Tips for tourists

Even if you are indifferent to volcanology, you should still visit Girvas (Karelia). It should be borne in mind that people from the same village try to cash in on the natural attractions. They can say that parking is paid or (if you left the car in the distance and came on foot) that crossing the bridge costs money. Believe it is not necessary. Tourists are urging to stop attempts to cash in on the credulity of people. The nature of Russia is the property of its people.