Alaska Earthquake and Volcano Information
Image:Seismology, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Alaska is one of the world's most seismically and volcanically active regions in the world. The Twentieth Century's strongest earthquake and most violent volcanic eruption occurred in Alaska:

1964 Alaska Earthquake

On March 27, 1964, an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 struck southern Alaska. The earthquake was felt over approximately 7,000,000 square mile of Alaska, and portions of the Yukon Territory and Canada. The earthquake generated a tsunami wave that left serious damage along the Gulf of Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States.

For more information on Alaska Earthquakes visit:

•Seismology, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

•Surfing the Internet for Earthquake Data(a huge list of links).

•USGS Quake Information- Most recent 100 earthquakes in Alaska with a magnitude of 2.0 or greater.

June 12, 1912 Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, at the base of the Aleutian Island Chain.

A series of violent earthquakes was followed by one of the greatest eruptions in history. Enough ash poured out of Novarupta Volcano to bury more than 40 square miles of the Katmai Valley floor with as much as 700 feet of ash. More than a foot fell on the town of Kodiak, one hundred miles away. It was estimated that more than 10,000 fissures were venting plumes of hot gases.

Currently, there are several active and potentially active volcanoes in Alaska, including:

    Aniakchak Volcano
    Augustine Island
    Mount Griggs
    Iliamna Volcano
    Katmai Volcano
    Mount Martin
    Mount Mageik
    Novarupta Dome
    Novarupta Volcano
    Pavlof Volcano
    Mount Redoubt

    Mount Spurr- Crater Peak was hit  with a series of three, short-lived but violent eruptions on June 27, August 18, and September 16-17 of 1992 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, 1993). Each eruption lasted between 3.5 - 4.0 hours and produced a cloud of gas and ash that reached altitudes of more than 15 km (49,000 ft) above the volcano. Near the volcano, avalanches of debris tumbled down the flanks of Crater Peak and large blocks were hurled as far as 3 km (1.8 miles) away.

Two of the three 1992 events blanketed populated areas northeast and east of the volcano, including the city of Anchorage, with as much as 3 mm ( 1/8 inch) of sand-sized ash. The fallout closed airports, schools, and businesses for a day or more, interrupted air traffic over south-central Alaska, and caused respiratory problems for people with breathing disorders. The clean-up cost the city of Anchorage alone an estimated $2 million.

    Snowy Mountain
    Mount Trident
    Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

For more information on Volcanoes and Alaska Volcanoes, visit the following sites:

•Alaska Volcano Observatory

•Cascades Volcano Observatory

•Eruptions of Mount St. Helens: Past, Present, and Future

•USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington

•Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

•Long Valley Caldera

•Potential Volcanic Hazards from Future Activity of Mount Baker, Washington

•Volcanoes

•Volcano Hazards Program

•Volcano Hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington

•Volcanic-Hazard for Glacier Peak Volcano, Washington

•Volcanic-Hazard Zonation for Mount St. Helens, Washington, 1995--

•Volcanoes of the United States

•Volcanic and Seismic Hazards of the Island of Hawaii