Alaska Volcano Observatory

John Paskievitch and John Power at the remains of a seismic station on the East Rim of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr Volcano, the nearest active volcano to Anchorage. The late June 1992 eruption from Crater Peak (right behind these two fellows) blasted 44 million cubic meters of ash, blocks, and gas into the atmosphere. The combined mechanical and thermal damage to AVO’s seismometer perched on the rim of Crater Peak destroyed the equipment, leaving only twisted galvanized steep pipe, melted coaxial cable, and corrugated metal. Thanks to this and other seismic stations on the volcano prior to the eruption, however, AVO was able to issue early warning of the explosion.