Mount Veniaminof (Russian: Вулкан Вениаминова) is an active stratovolcano on the Alaska Peninsula. The mountain was named after Ioann (Ivan Popov) Veniaminov (1797–1879), a Russian Orthodox missionary priest (and later a prominent bishop in Russia) whose writings on the Aleut language and ethnology are still standard references. He is a saint of the Orthodox Church, known as Saint Innocent for the monastic name he used in later life.
| Mount Veniaminof | |
|---|---|
 Steam rising from the intracaldera cinder cone at Veniaminof volcano in the waning stages of the 1983 to 1984 eruption. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,225 ft (2,507 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 8,199 ft (2,499 m)[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 56°11′53″N 159°23′27″W / 56.19806°N 159.39083°W |
| Geography | |
  Mount Veniaminof | |
| Parent range | Aleutian Range |
| Topo map | USGS Chignik A-5 |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano with a summit caldera |
| Volcanic arc | Aleutian Arc |
| Last eruption | 2021 |
| Designated | 1967 |
The volcano was the site of a colossal (VEI 6) eruption around 1750 BCE.[1] This eruption left a large caldera. In modern times the volcano has had numerous small eruptions (over ten of them since 1930), all at a cinder cone in the middle of the caldera.
Veniaminof is one of the highest of Alaskan volcanoes. Partly for this reason, it is covered by a glacier that fills most of the caldera. Because of the glacier and the caldera walls, there is the possibility of a major flood from a future glacier run.
The volcano recently began erupting on September 3, 2018, as magma broke through the summit and flowed down its slopes as a lava flow. Despite starting off as an effusive eruption, by November 20, the eruption became more intense and ash was reaching 20,000 feet, prompting the AVO to give a warning for aviation because of the ash posing a threat to aviation. Even an ashfall warning was issued for the nearby town of Perryville.
In 1967, Mount Veniaminof was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.[3]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Veniaminof". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ "Alaskan ultra-prominent peaks". peaklist.org. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-20.