English: This astronaut photograph shows the southern end of Paramushir Island after a
snowfall. The western slopes of the
mountains are brightly illuminated, while the eastern slopes are in
shadow.
Four major volcanic centres create this part of the island. Fuss Peak (image centre left) is an isolated
stratovolcano connected to the main island via an
isthmus. Fuss Peak last erupted in 1854.
The southern tip of the island is occupied by the Karpinsky Group of three volcanic centres. A minor eruption of ash following an earthquake occurred on this part of the island in 1952.
The Lomonosov Group to the north-east (image centre) includes four
cinder cones and a
lava dome that produced several
lava flows in the past, but there have been no eruptions from the Lomonosov Group in recorded history.
The most recent volcanic activity on Paramushir Island occurred in 2008 at the Chikurachki cone located along the northern coastline of the island at image top centre. The summit of this volcano [1,816 meters above
sea level] is the highest on Paramushir Island.
Much of the
Sea of Okhotsk visible in the image is covered with low
clouds that often form around the islands in the Kuril chain. The clouds are generated by moisture-laden
air passing over the cool sea/ocean
water, and they typically wrap around the volcanic islands.