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Report on Shishaldin (United States) — 20 October-26 October 2004


Shishaldin

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
20 October-26 October 2004
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2004. Report on Shishaldin (United States). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 20 October-26 October 2004. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (20 October-26 October 2004)

Shishaldin

United States

54.756°N, 163.97°W; summit elev. 2857 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


On 26 October, AVO lowered the Concern Color Code at Shishaldin from Yellow to Green. Volcanic tremor at the volcano had remained at a relatively constant and low level for more than a month. No new satellite observations indicative of significant activity in the summit crater had been received by AVO, and there had been no recent reports of ash emissions or ash on the snow near the summit. The low-level seismic tremor that continued to be recorded at the volcano was considered to be representative of the background rate of activity at Shishaldin.

Geological Summary. The symmetrical glacier-covered Shishaldin is the highest and one of the most active volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands. It is the westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes in the eastern half of Unimak Island. The Aleuts named the volcano Sisquk, meaning "mountain which points the way when I am lost." Constructed atop an older glacially dissected edifice, it is largely basaltic in composition. Remnants of an older ancestral volcano are exposed on the W and NE sides at 1,500-1,800 m elevation. There are over two dozen pyroclastic cones on its NW flank, which is blanketed by massive aa lava flows. Frequent explosive activity, primarily consisting of Strombolian ash eruptions from the small summit crater, but sometimes producing lava flows, has been recorded since the 18th century. A steam plume often rises from the summit crater.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)