Preliminary volcano-hazard assessment for Aniakchak Volcano, Alaska

Aniakchak is an active volcano located on the Alaska Peninsula 670 kilometers southwest of Anchorage. The volcano consists of a dramatic, 10-kilometer-diameter, 0.5 to 1.0-kilometer-deep caldera that formed during a catastrophic eruption 3,500 years ago. Since then, at least a dozen separate vents within the caldera have erupted, often explosively, to produce lava flows and widespread tephra (ash) deposits. The most recent eruption at Aniakchak occurred in 1931 and was one of the largest explosive eruptions in Alaska in the last 100 years. Although Aniakchak volcano presently shows no signs of unrest, explosive and nonexplosive eruptions will occur in the future. Awareness of the hazards posed by future eruptions is a key factor in minimizing impact.