Emmons Lake Volcanic Center

Alaska - Alaska Peninsula


SUMMARY:

Type: stratovolcano with caldera
Activity: dormant
Last Eruption: less than 10,000 years ago
Rock Type: basalt to rhyolite
Eruptive Volume: 300 to 400 cu km
Location Map from Xerox PARC
Latitude: 55.57 N
Longitude: 162.03 W


Geologic Background:

The massive Emmons Lake stratovolcano, located north of Volcano Bay, SW of Pavlof volcano, is truncated by one of the largest calderas of the Aleutian arc. The 11 x 18 km caldera, which contains a narrow elongated lake at its SW end, was formed during two late-Quaternary rhyolitic eruptions that produced extensive ashflow tuffs. Mount Emmons, Mount Hague, and Double Crater are post-caldera cones of dominantly basaltic composition that were constructed along the SW-NE trend of the elongated caldera, which is up to 1150 m deep. Some young Holocene flows have moved through a gap in the southern caldera rim to within 1 km of the Pacific Ocean. A large fumarolic area is located on the south side of Mount Hague, and the only reported historical activity from Emmons Lake volcano was the emission of steam plumes from Mt. Hague in 1990 and 1991.

Historic Activity:

  • No historic activity.

Recent Activity:

  • A large fumarolic area occurs on the south side of Mount Hague (on caldera floor), which is near the eastern margin of the caldera. 

Data Sources:

  • Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Network (V. 15, No. 9).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION


Last Update: 12/24/00