Katmai 2003/9

Start: September 21, 2003 [1]

Event Type: Not an eruption

Event Characteristics:
  • Remobilized tephra - no eruption [1] [2]

Description: From McGimsey and others (2005): "On September 21, 2003, strong northwesterly winds sweeping through the VTTS in Katmai National Park entrained ash from the 1912 deposits to form a substantial cloud that was carried over Shelikof Strait, Kodiak Island, and the Gulf of Alaska. Particle fallout on Kodiak Island was mistaken as material from an eruption cloud. Upon receiving the reports from Kodiak, AVO scientists analyzed satellite imagery and area seismic data and determined that the phenomenon was non-eruptive in origin. The National Weather Service (NWS) was contacted to confirm the existence of strong winds in the area, and then AVO issued an Information Release at 2:30 pm ADT (22:30 UTC) explaining the cloud's source and cautioning that despite the non-eruptive origin, the cloud -- composed of remobilized volcanic ash -- nonetheless posed a potential hazard to aircraft."

References Cited

[1] 2003 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2005

McGimsey, Robert G., Neal, Christina A., and Girina, Olga, 2005, 2003 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1310, 62 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1310/.
full-text PDF 3.54 MB

[2] 90-year-old Katmai ash dusts Kodiak, 2004

Unknown, 2004, 90-year-old Katmai ash dusts Kodiak: Alaska, v. 70, n. 1, p. 15.

Complete Eruption References

90-year-old Katmai ash dusts Kodiak, 2004

Unknown, 2004, 90-year-old Katmai ash dusts Kodiak: Alaska, v. 70, n. 1, p. 15.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

2003 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2005

McGimsey, Robert G., Neal, Christina A., and Girina, Olga, 2005, 2003 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1310, 62 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1310/.
full-text PDF 3.54 MB