Abstract <p>Most of Kamсhatka is located above the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone, and subduction has been the main factor in the evolution of the peninsula’s topography throughout its history. Plate tectonics is responsible for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that affect the peninsula. In contrast to the neighbouring Aleutian and Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula is much broader, up to 400 km, and hosts two belts of active volcanoes, which makes Kamchatka a unique segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The first-order landforms of Kamchatka are, west to east, the Sredinny Range, the Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD), the Eastern Ranges, the East Volcanic Belt, and the Eastern peninsulas. The Sredinny Range emerged in the Eocene, whereas the CKD and Eastern Ranges took their shape in the Quaternary due to the docking of the extinct Kronotsky island arc into Kamchatka. Blocks of the Kronotsky arc now comprise three western peninsulas of Kamchatka: Shipunsky, Kronotsky and Kamchatsky. The docking caused the emergence of the Eastern Volcanic Belt and the fading of the long-living Sredinny volcanic belt. Since the end of the island arc collision, the subduction zone has been retreating due to the lack of buoyancy in the subducting plate, thus causing the extension of the peninsula towards the Pacific Ocean. Most of this crustal deformation is concentrated in narrow zones of normal faults, producing graben-like landforms. The only area of ongoing compression in Kamchatka is in its northeast, where blocks of the Aleutian arc are dragged into Kamchatka by the motion of the Pacific plate.</p>