Mount Chiginagak
Encyclopedia
Chiginagak Volcano is a stratovolcano
in the Aleutian Islands, located about 15 km NW of Chiginagak Bay.
A 400m wide (1300 ft) and 105m deep (350 ft) acidified summit crater lake at Chiginagak formed after November 2004 and before May 2005. In early May 2005, a catastrophic release of acidic water from the lake, with an accompanying acidic aerosol component, drained and flooded Indecision and Volcano Creeks with acidic water, traveled 27 km downstream and flowed into the Mother Goose Lake, headwaters of the King Salmon River. Extensive vegetation damage occurred along the flood route and Mother Goose Lake was acidified (pH of 2.9-3.1), killing all aquatic life and preventing the annual salmon run. The lake now drains from the summit through an outlet cave into Indecision Creek. Indecision Creek now usually has a strong sulphur odar, yellowish color and a pH of 1.2.
Chiginagak is an Eskimo
name published in 1888 by the USBF.
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
in the Aleutian Islands, located about 15 km NW of Chiginagak Bay.
Eruptive history
An unglaciated lava flow and an overlying pyroclastic-flow deposit extending east from the summit are the most recent products of Chiginagak. They most likely originated from a lava dome at 1687m on the SE flank, 1 km from the summit of the volcano. Brief ash eruptions were reported in July 1971 and August 1998. Fumarolic activity occurs at 1600m elevation on the NE flank of the volcano, and two areas of hot-spring travertine deposition are located at the NW base of the volcano near Volcano Creek.A 400m wide (1300 ft) and 105m deep (350 ft) acidified summit crater lake at Chiginagak formed after November 2004 and before May 2005. In early May 2005, a catastrophic release of acidic water from the lake, with an accompanying acidic aerosol component, drained and flooded Indecision and Volcano Creeks with acidic water, traveled 27 km downstream and flowed into the Mother Goose Lake, headwaters of the King Salmon River. Extensive vegetation damage occurred along the flood route and Mother Goose Lake was acidified (pH of 2.9-3.1), killing all aquatic life and preventing the annual salmon run. The lake now drains from the summit through an outlet cave into Indecision Creek. Indecision Creek now usually has a strong sulphur odar, yellowish color and a pH of 1.2.
Chiginagak is an Eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
name published in 1888 by the USBF.
External links
- Alaska Volcano Observatory: Chiginagak
- USGS DDS-40: Volcanoes of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands-Selected Photographs
Further reading