Akutan 1907

Start: 1907 [1]

Event Type: Explosive

Event Characteristics:
  • Tephra plume [2]
  • Tephrafall [1]

Description: A March 15, 1907, Washington Post newspaper article describes the eruption observed in March, 1907: "Word has been received from Valdez, Alaska, that the volcano on the Island of Akutan, off the Peninsula of Alaska, and not far from Unalaska, was in active eruption when the steamer Dora passed the island at 2 a.m. on February 28. All the passengers were aroused to witness the sight, which is said to have been magnificent.
"At about the same hour, a severe earthquake occurred occurred at Unalaska, although it did no serious damage."
The U.S. Revenue Service Cutter Perry reported Akutan 'emitting considerable smoke' on June 21, 1907. (Logbook entry available on Old Weather project website: http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/final/Commodore%20perry//Volumes/Seagate%20Backup%20Plus%20Drive/Arfon-JPEGS/RG26/COMMODORE%20PERRY//vol184/vol184_175_1.jpg ).
Jaggar (1908) reports that on June 28, 1907, the "lower active cone of Akutan near the shore is throwing up columns of black factory 'smoke' - steam charged with dust. Continues to say that on the slopes and in the gulch descending from the crater there is much snow, soiled with new-fallen volcanic dust" and on July 3, 1907, Akutan was smoking, and they observed 4 black puffs.
Eakle (1908) writes: "Last summer Akutan was sending up intermittently a huge column of vapor, which spread out above into the well known cauliflower or umbrella shape, similar to the smoke column that hung over San Francisco during the recent conflagration."
And Finch (1935) states that "In 1907 the volcano was more or less continuously active for most of the year."

References Cited

[1] Journal of the technology expedition to the Aleutian Islands, 1907, 1908

Jaggar, T. A., 1908, Journal of the technology expedition to the Aleutian Islands, 1907: The Technology Review, v. 10, n. 1, p. 1-37.

[2] Recent volcanic eruptions in the Bering Sea, 1908

Eakle, A. S., 1908, Recent volcanic eruptions in the Bering Sea: Mining and Scientific Press, v. 96, p. 353.

[3] Akutan volcano, 1935

Finch, R. H., 1935, Akutan volcano: Zeitschrift fuer Vulkanologie, v. 16, n. 3, p. 155-160, 4 plates, scale unknown.

Complete Eruption References

The volcanoes of Alaska, 1910

Cordeiro, F. J. B., 1910, The volcanoes of Alaska: Appalachia, v. 12, p. 130-135.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Recent volcanic eruptions in the Bering Sea, 1908

Eakle, A. S., 1908, Recent volcanic eruptions in the Bering Sea: Mining and Scientific Press, v. 96, p. 353.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Akutan volcano, 1935

Finch, R. H., 1935, Akutan volcano: Zeitschrift fuer Vulkanologie, v. 16, n. 3, p. 155-160, 4 plates, scale unknown.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Journal of the technology expedition to the Aleutian Islands, 1907, 1908

Jaggar, T. A., 1908, Journal of the technology expedition to the Aleutian Islands, 1907: The Technology Review, v. 10, n. 1, p. 1-37.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition], 1994

Simkin, Tom, and Siebert, Lee, 1994, Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition]: Tucson, Arizona, Geoscience Press, 349 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC shelf

Volcano and earthquake, 1907

Associated Press, 1907, Volcano and earthquake: The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., March 15, 1907, p. 19.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Logbooks of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Perry, 1906

Logbooks of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Perry, 1906. Transcripts available at http://www.oldweather.org/ships/523c928e68f4b82a89000002 .