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NEWS ITEMS
2023
Trident seismicity information statement July 25, 2023 Notice: Planned Maintenance and Power Downs at Butrovich Data Center - Website Service Outage Alaska Volcano Observatory Sitka visit May 5-9, 2023 Get to know Makushin Volcano AVO Information Statement on Sheveluch Volcano, April 13, 2023

2022
Currently active Mount Cerberus volcano now named Mount Young  33rd anniversary of Redoubt's 1989-1990 eruption Where did the Mystery Ash come from? Maybe YOU have the answer! No volcanic gases detected at Mt. Edgecumbe during recent survey. Mt. Edgecumbe gets a new monitoring station Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field changes from "dormant" to "active" -- what does that mean? Mount Edgecumbe Information Statement, April 22, 2022

2021
Meet the Atka Volcanic Complex Resuspended ash from Aniakchak: August 2, 2021 Information Statement 90th Anniversary of the 1931 eruption of Aniakchak Volcano, Alaska Booming sounds from Veniaminof and their source AVO assists in multi-agency effort to monitor the Barry Arm Landslide in Prince William Sound AVO's 2020 Field Season

2020
Alaska Volcano Observatory Expands Eruption Detection Capability in Cook Inlet The Alaska Volcano Observatory’s summer 2020 field work plans Update on AVO Operations during COVID-19

2019
AVO announces extensive upgrades to volcano monitoring equipment during summer 2019 fieldwork New publication: Alaska Volcano Observatory geochemical database, version 2 New publication: On the eruption age and provenance of the Old Crow tephra New publication: Historically active volcanoes of Alaska v. 3

2018
In the event of a federal government shutdown Tectonic earthquakes and Alaska volcanoes Volcanic Threat Assessment helps prioritize risk reduction efforts at U.S. volcanoes AVO hiring a software engineer at University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Happy 30th Birthday, AVO! New publication: Postglacial eruptive history and geochemistry of Semisopochnoi volcano, western Aleutian Islands, Alaska New publication: Geochemistry of some Quaternary lavas from the Aleutian Arc and Mt. Wrangell New publication: Geologic map of Chiginagak volcano New publication: Major-element glass compositions of tephra from the circa 3.6 ka eruption of Aniakchak volcano, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska New publication: The 2014 eruptions of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska New publication: Historically active volcanoes of Alaska reference deck, v.2

2017
Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska: ongoing eruption through the Bering Sea Thank you Unalaska! Bogoslof Summary of Current Activity Bogoslof Summary of Current Activity, through 19 January 2017

2016
AVO studies resuspended volcanic ash from the Katmai region to Kodiak Island, Alaska Citizen Science - Volcanic Ash Collection Workshop and Public Talk, Kodiak January 30, 2016 Fieldwork at Iliamna and Spurr New publication highlights the importance of ash scrubbing in the evaluation of hazards from explosive eruptions

2015
Critical Volcano Monitoring Systems Returned to Operation in Alaska Resuspended Volcanic Ash from the Katmai Region to Kodiak Island Remobilized Katmai 1912 ash: community events and health hazard analysis Makushin 2015 Geology Blog Sixth Anniversary of the Redoubt 2009 Eruption Happy Anniversary, Shishaldin 1967 and 2014!

2014
New Publication on Aniakchak Volcano Available Online 25th Anniversary of the 1989-90 Eruption of Redoubt Volcano AVO geochemical database now available AVO Scientists Discuss Cook Inlet Volcanoes on Frontier Scientists TV Series Announcing new monitoring equipment for Cleveland volcano 22nd anniversary of Crater Peak (Mt Spurr) June 27 eruption Revised Alaska Interagency Operating Plan for Volcanic Ash Episodes Anniversary of Aniakchak 1931 eruption! April 19th - anniversary of Shishaldin 1999 and Pavlof 1986! Ground-coupled airwaves and explosion signals at Shishaldin 5th anniversary of the Redoubt 2009 eruption Loss of Critical Volcano Monitoring Information in Alaska NEW VOLCANO NUMBERING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTED Loss of Critical Volcano Monitoring Information in Alaska Report released: Geochemical investigations of the hydrothermal system on Akutan Island, July 2012

2013
24th Anniversary of the 1989-90 eruption of Redoubt Volcano Veterans Day slideshow Call for images from active and retired service members! AVO operations during lapse of federal government appropriations New Tool for Reporting Alaska Volcanic Ash Fall Allows Residents to Assist Scientific Monitoring 25 years monitoring Alaska volcanoes - press release

2012
AVO slideshow for Veterans Day Large ash eruptions: when volcanoes reshape valleys -- free public lecture Father Hubbard and the history of exploration in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes - free lecture Remote sensing and volcanoes - free public lecture The Great Eruption of 1912 - free public lecture Infrasound Detection of Volcanic Explosions Archaeology of Katmai area and the impact of past eruptions - free public lecture Historical Photography of the Great 1912 Eruption - free public lecture Catastrophic Eruptions and People -- free public lecture Eruption of an Island Volcano: Kasatochi, 2008 -- free public lecture Exploring the Plumbing System of Katmai Volcanoes Exploration of Katmai and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes - free public lecture Commemorative presentation in Kodiak: Be Prepared! Earthquakes Below Alaskan Volcanoes - free public lecture DisaStory - A Day of Oral History 1912 Katmai Eruption Children's Program Monitoring Alaska's Volcanoes - free public lecture Landmark volcano study: Katmai Centennial Perspectives free download Special activities on AVO's website for 1912 centennial Alaska Park Science - Volcanoes of Katmai and the Alaska Peninsula AVO at the Alaska Aviation Trade Show and Conference May 5-6 The Great Katmai Eruption of 1912 - a free lecture in Anchorage: April 24, 2012 The Great Katmai Eruption of 1912: A Century of Research Tracks Progress in Volcano Science April 25 -- The Novarupta - Katmai 1912 eruption: a free lecture in Fairbanks by Judy Fierstein Summer lecture series on Alaskan volcanism Poster contest celebrates anniversary of Katmai eruption! Mark your calendar: April 24 public lecture on the great Novarupta-Katmai eruption of 1912 An important volcanic anniversary in Alaska! PUBLISHED: The 2009 Eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

2011
2011 Alaska Interagency Operating Plan for Volcanic Ash Episodes now available How does Cleveland's lava dome compare to Redoubt's 2009 lava dome? Alaska Volcanoes Guidebook for Teachers

2010
New Fact Sheet on Kasatochi How big is the 2009 Redoubt lava dome?

2009
New map: Historically active volcanoes of Alaska Steaming at Augustine Sarychev Volcano: Active Volcanoes of the Kurile Islands Footage of Alaska's Redoubt Volcano taken on Monday, March 23, 2009. Pre-eruption footage of Redoubt Volcano, Saturday, March 20, 2009 Redoubt Volcano B-Roll Footage

2008
Kasatochi 2008 eruption summary 6th Biennial Workshop on Subduction Processes emphasizing the Kurile-Kamchatka-Aleutian Arcs Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska Chiginagak volcano's acid crater-lake continues to supply acidic, metal-laden water to salmon spawning habitat on the Alaska Peninsula ALASKA VOLCANOES - TEACHER ACTIVITY GUIDEBOOK & KIT 20 years of AVO Viewing earthquake information for Alaska volcanoes

2007
Pavlof webcam added Activity at Pavlof volcano Pavlof thermal anomaly AVO Scientists present at U.S. Department of Education Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop Cleveland webcam available Activity at Cleveland volcano Cleveland satellite images Sheveluch Eruption U.S. Geological Survey's alert notification system for volcanic activity KVERT Volcanic Warnings Ceased

2006
New alert system for volcanic activity Three new webcams added AGU presentations requested New webcam available
MOUNT EDGECUMBE VOLCANIC FIELD CHANGES FROM "DORMANT" TO "ACTIVE" -- WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field changes from "dormant" to "active" -- what does that mean?
Posted: May 09, 2022
The Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field (MEVF) is now classed as "historically active" by the standards of the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) because it is experiencing deformation related to the presence of magma intruding three miles below the surface.

AVO defines an "active" volcano as a volcanic center that has had a recent eruption or a period of intense deformation, seismic activity, and/or fumarolic activity that likely reflects the accumulation of magma in the crust below the volcano. Note that this definition does not require an actual eruption and instead uses eruptions as well as measurements of magma beneath a volcano. AVO uses the term "historical" to mean within the past 300 years and the beginning of written records in Alaska. It is important to note that the Indigenous oral histories of Alaska cover a far greater period of time. As our geologic understanding of Alaska's volcanoes improves through additional fieldwork and modern radiometric-dating techniques, our understanding of past activity will continue to evolve.


Mount Edgecumbe, viewed from Sitka, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Duncan Marriott

The Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field (MEVF) has been previously described by people outside of the Alaska Volcano Observatory as a "dormant" volcano. Let's talk about that word, "dormant". The American Geosciences Institute Glossary of Geology defines "dormant volcano" as: "A volcano that is not now erupting but is considered likely to do so in the future. There is no precise distinction between a dormant and an active volcano." The term "dormant volcano" is so little used and undefined in modern volcanology that the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (2000) does not contain it in the glossaries or index.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory prefers to classify volcanoes as to when they were most recently active, and previously labeled the MEVF as "Holocene", meaning that we thought the most recent activity at Edgecumbe was within the past ~11,700 years. (For more information on divisions of geologic time, see this publication: Divisions of Geologic Time - Major Chronostratigraphic and Geochronologic Units). However, with our recent observation that magma is likely intruding underneath Edgecumbe, the Alaska Volcano Observatory now classifies the MEVF as "historically active."

For more information on the Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field:

The AVO home page for Mt. Edgecumbe has information about activity and geology, as well as maps and images. For near-real-time data on Mount Edgecumbe, please visit the Current Activity page. As AVO's monitoring capability increases for Edgecumbe, we will add instruments to this page.

The April 22, 2022 Information Statement about recent activity is on AVO's site HERE.

AVO also has social media accounts to follow for information on all Alaska volcanoes. On Twitter @alaska_avo, on Facebook at facebook.com/alaska.avo, and on Instagram @alaska_volcano_observatory.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) operates the Volcano Notification System (VNS) that sends notification emails about volcanic activity happening at US monitored volcanoes. You can customize the VNS to only deliver notifications for certain volcanoes, or a range of volcanoes, as well as choose the separate notification types you want to receive including emails or text/SMS.

The Mount Edgecumbe volcanic field is on Kruzof Island, which is within the Tongass National Forest and managed by the US Forest Service.
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