Duke World: June 2015

Kutkhiny Baty, A Beautiful Valley of Kamchatka Krai, Russia

Kutkhiny Baty an amazing place in terms of geology and extraordinary in its beauty, located in Ust-Bolsheretsky district, Kamchatka Krai, Russia, near the place where the river headed originates from Kuril Lake and the lake are formed by large volcanic explosions, First 41,500 radiocarbon years ago and the second around 6440 BC. The huge amount of material ejected during the second explosion, comparable to some of the largest eruptions in recorded history, produced by thick pyroclastic flowdeposits around the countryside, and some ash fell more than 1000 km away on the Asian mainland. Thus formed porous rock - pumice. Over time, this place was covered with earth and raised new forests. But things are changing. And the small creek began to grind the rock, and the wind completed the initiative and opened it for public gaze the white cliffs. The beautiful valley Kutkhiny Baty, appears in the middle of the green mountains like an white oasis in this view from the air, it is a natural depression formed by unique rock pumice, also known as pumice.

Photo credit Commons.Wikimedia

Name Kutkhiny Baty or Kuthiny baht went legend about the main character of Kamchatka - Kutkh. Usually Kutkh appeared before the people in the guise of a crow. According to ltelmen's or the native tribes also have a legend explaining how the valley was formed – they believed that the valley is a storage place for a god’s canoes. Kutkhu - the Lord and the Creator of Kamchatka - used to live on the Kurile Lake for some time, and used to go fishing on the lake and to the ocean in these canoes. Before leaving Kamchatka, Kutkhu put up his boats "Baty", and since then this place has been considered sacred among the locals. There are many stories on this topic, while local artisans can be purchased Kutkh figurines of wood, as well as bone.

The valley is made from whitish pumice stone. Pumice is a very light volcanic rock. Pumice is created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. The unusual foamy configuration of pumice happens. This is how famous "Kutkhiny Baty", "obelisks" made of pumice and resembling gigantic canoes left to dry, look like from a helicopter. Each "boat" is approximately 16 stories tall. Kurile Lakeis a national wildlife preserve and a national monument. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the listings of composition of the volcanoes of Kamchatka.