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Report on Kanaga (United States) — November 1994


Kanaga

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 19, no. 11 (November 1994)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.

Kanaga (United States) Minor ashfall observed and "hot spot" detected by satellite

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1994. Report on Kanaga (United States) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 19:11. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199411-311110



Kanaga

United States

51.923°N, 177.168°W; summit elev. 1307 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Observers in Adak . . . reported little activity during the first half of October, when clouds obscured Kanaga. Minor ash fall was noted 3-5 km S of the volcano on 12 October. A white steam cloud was observed from Adak the next day rising 1,200-1,500 m above the summit, and no new ash deposits were seen on the flanks of the volcano, covered by fresh snowfall. AVHRR satellite imagery on 13 October revealed a "hot spot" at the summit, but no eruption cloud was observed. During the following week, a white steam cloud rose 900-1,200 m above the summit. The volcano was obscured by cloudy weather conditions from 21 October through 25 November.

Geological Summary. Symmetrical Kanaga stratovolcano is situated within the Kanaton caldera at the northern tip of Kanaga Island. The caldera rim forms a 760-m-high arcuate ridge south and east of Kanaga; a lake occupies part of the SE caldera floor. The volume of subaerial dacitic tuff is smaller than would typically be associated with caldera collapse, and deposits of a massive submarine debris avalanche associated with edifice collapse extend nearly 30 km to the NNW. Several fresh lava flows from historical or late prehistorical time descend the flanks of Kanaga, in some cases to the sea. Historical eruptions, most of which are poorly documented, have been recorded since 1763. Kanaga is also noted petrologically for ultramafic inclusions within an outcrop of alkaline basalt SW of the volcano. Fumarolic activity occurs in a circular, 200-m-wide, 60-m-deep summit crater and produces vapor plumes sometimes seen on clear days from Adak, 50 km to the east.

Information Contacts: AVO.