Kamchatka is situated on the Pacific 'Rim of Fire' and is best known for its volcanoes that cause the peninsula to practically percolates with geothermal activity. There are over 200 volcanoes, many of them still active, that contain huge calderas, acid lakes, geysers and natural thermal springs.

Gorely is a massive shield volcano, 1830 m high, containing three separate craters. Recent eruptions have been explosive; in 1981 ash covered an area of 500 km2, and the last eruption was in 1986 when a cloud of steam and ash rose 600 m.