ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Friday, December 6, 2024, 11:53 AM AKST (Friday, December 6, 2024, 20:53 UTC)
Lava continues to erupt at a slow rate in the summit crater of Great Sitkin volcano. Comparison of recent satellite radar images shows continued slow eruption with growth of the lava flows near the central vent region and a small amount of growth along the northern margins of the flow. Intermittent small volcanic earthquakes continue at a low rate.
Since the May 2021 explosion, there have been no other explosions at Great Sitkin Volcano. The lava eruption that began in July 2021 is ongoing. It has filled most of the summit crater and advanced into valleys below. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors Great Sitkin using seismic, infrasound, and satellite data.
Great Sitkin Volcano is a basaltic andesite volcano that occupies most of the northern half of Great Sitkin Island, a member of the Andreanof Islands group in the central Aleutian Islands. It is located 26 miles (42 km) east of the community of Adak. The volcano is a composite structure consisting of an older dissected volcano and a younger parasitic cone with a ~1 mile (1.6 km)-diameter summit crater. A steep-sided lava dome, emplaced during the 1974 eruption, occupies the center of the crater. That eruption produced at least one ash cloud that likely exceeded an altitude of 25,000 ft (7.6 km) above sea level. A poorly documented eruption occurred in 1945, also producing a lava dome that was partially destroyed in the 1974 eruption. Within the past 280 years a large explosive eruption produced pyroclastic flows that partially filled the Glacier Creek valley on the southwest flank.
Unrest continues at Mount Spurr. Small, shallow earthquakes beneath the summit continue at a low rate, but with a slight increase over the previous week. The most recent deformation data from stations on Mount Spurr suggest a slowing of the inflation that has been ongoing since March of 2024. It is not known at this time whether this is related to changes in the volcanic system or seasonal changes as winter conditions affect stations. No other activity was observed in clear satellite or webcam images throughout the week.
AVO is closely monitoring Mount Spurr for signs of increased unrest using local seismic, infrasound, web camera, and GNSS stations, along with regional infrasound and lightning networks and satellite data. We would expect changes in the earthquakes, ground deformation, summit lake, and fumaroles if magma began to move closer to the surface. Thus, if an eruption were to occur, it would be preceded by additional signals that would allow advance warning.
Mount Spurr volcano is an ice- and snow-covered stratovolcano located on the west side of Cook Inlet approximately 120 km (75 mi) west of Anchorage. The only known historical eruptions occurred in 1953 and 1992 from the Crater Peak flank vent located 3.5 km (2 mi) south of the summit of Mount Spurr. These eruptions were brief, explosive, and produced columns of ash that rose up to 20 km (65,000 ft) above sea level and deposited several mm of ash in south-central Alaska, including approximately 6 mm of ash on Anchorage in 1953. The last known eruption from the summit of Mount Spurr was more than 5,000 years ago. Primary hazards during future eruptions include far-traveled ash clouds, ash fall, pyroclastic flows, and lahars or mudflows that could inundate drainages all sides of the volcano, but primarily on the south and east flanks.
Matt Haney, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS mhaney@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
David Fee, Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI dfee1@alaska.edu (907) 378-5460
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.