Mount Katmai

About

Mount Katmai is a large dormant stratovolcano (composite volcano) on the Alaska Peninsula in southern Alaska, located within Katmai National Park and Preserve. It is about 6.3 miles (10 km) in diameter with a central lake-filled caldera about two by three miles (3.2 by 4.8 km) in size, formed during the Novarupta eruption of 1912. The caldera rim reaches a maximum elevation of 6,715 feet (2, 047 m). In 1975 the surface of the crater lake was at an elevation of about 4,055 feet (1, 236 m), and the estimated elevation of the caldera floor is about 3,260 ft (995 m). The mountain is located in Kodiak Island Borough, very close to its border with Lake and Peninsula Borough. The volcano has caused ten known fatalities due to gas exposure. Since the 1912 eruption, the Alaska Volcano Observatory routinely issues advisories for ash. Strong winds during the summer when snow cover is sparse can lift ash from the 1912 eruption high into the air (20, 000 feet plus in some cases). This can cause a serious hazard for any aircraft that might fly through the ash plume. No volcanic eruption is associated with this phenomenon.

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