Biggest bangs of the 20th

Biggest bangs of the 20th

Century

Novarupta Alaskan Volcano

Year of Eruption- The morning of

June 6th arrived on the Alaska peninsula to
find the area which is now Katmai National
Monument being shaken by numerous
strong, shallow earthquakes. The most
powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th
Century was about to begin – but very few
people knew about it. The Alaska peninsula
has a low population density today, but in
1912 it was even lower. Beyond the land
shaken by the earthquake activity, the
beginnings of this event were almost
unnoticed.

Type of Volcano- Alaskan hard rock volcano
primary volcano type (caldera) latitude
58.27 N Longitude 155.157 W Summit 841m
Elevation 2758 ft.

Eruption Force - It was one of the few

historical eruptions to produce a collapsed
caldera, voluminous high-silica rhyolite,
wide compositional zonation (51–78
percent SiO2), banded pumice, welded tuff,
and an aerosol/dust veil that depressed
global temperature measurably. It
emplaced a series of ash flows that filled
what became the Valley of Ten Thousand
Smokes, sustaining high-temperature

metal-transporting fumaroles for a decade.

Cultural and Environmental

Impact- Killed all crops and homes within

the radius of the explosion. Many animals
died during this explosion and caused the
few trees in Alaska to their deaths. After the
explosion the People prayed over their
loses and also prayed for never for the
volcano to erupt again.