Kurile Lake is included in the Eastern Volcanic Zone of Kamchatka, away from the trench. It is one of the two or three volcanic zones of Kamchatka, the other ones being the Central Depression and the Sredinny Range. Only the first two have had historical activity. The neighbouring volcano Ilinsky was active in 1911 and Zheltovsky was active in 1923. Hydrothermal activity may still be ongoing in the lake.