Shishaldin Volcano
Updated: Apr 16, 2024 13:49 GMT -
Stratovolcano 2857 m / 9,373 ft
Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 54.76°N / -163.97°W
Current status: restless (2 out of 5)
Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 54.76°N / -163.97°W
Current status: restless (2 out of 5)
Last update: 21 Feb 2024 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)
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Shishaldin volcano eruptions: 2023 (Jul 12-ongoing), 2019 (Jul 23 - 2020 May 4), 2014-15, 2008 (?), 2004, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1986-87, 1981 (?), 1979, 1978, 1976, 1975, 1967, 1963, 1955, 1953, 1951, 1948, 1946-47, 1932, 1929, 1928, 1927, 1925, 1922, 1912 (?), 1901, 1899 (?), 1898, 1897 (?), 1883, 1880-81, 1865 (?), 1842, 1838, 1830, 1927-29, 1826, 1825, 1824, 1790 (?), 1775-78
Latest nearby earthquakes
| Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance / Location | |||
| Apr 12, 08:23 pm (Anchorage) | 1.3 19 km | 4.9 km (3 mi) to the NE |  32 km WSW of False Pass, Alaska | Info | |
| Thursday, April 11, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| Apr 11, 01:42 am (Anchorage) | 1.6 0.8 km | 19 km (12 mi) to the W | Aleutians East, 110 mi northeast of Unalaska, Aleutians West, Alaska, United States | Info | |
| Friday, April 5, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| Apr 4, 11:39 pm (Anchorage) | 0.4 3 km | 1.6 km (1 mi) to the S | 38 km WSW of False Pass, Alaska | Info | |
| Wednesday, April 3, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| Apr 3, 04:54 am (Anchorage) | 0.8 8.3 km | 6 km (3.7 mi) to the W | 43 km WSW of False Pass, Alaska | Info | |
Background
The beautifully symmetrical volcano of Shishaldin is the highest and one of the most active volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands. The 2857-m-high, glacier-covered volcano is the westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes along an E-W line in the eastern half of Unimak Island. The Aleuts named the volcano Sisquk, meaning "mountain which points the way when I am lost." A steady steam plume rises from its small summit crater. Constructed atop an older glacially dissected volcano, Shishaldin is Holocene in age and largely basaltic in composition. Remnants of an older ancestral volcano are exposed on the west and NE sides at 1500-1800 m elevation. Shishaldin contains 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.---
Smithsonian / GVP volcano information
Shishaldin Volcano Photos
The chain of volcanoes on Unimak, from left to right: Roundtop Mountain, Isanotski, Pogromni and Shishaldin. (Photo: marcofulle)
Except for the topmost part Shishaldin's uppermost flanks are covered by glaciers. Their fast flow leads to intensive crevassing. (Photo: marcofulle)
The perfect cone of Shishaldin volcano rises high above a deck of stratocumuls clouds. Pogromni volcano far right. (Photo: marcofulle)
Whereas Shishaldin is a superb example of a young, symmetric stratovolcano, the much older Isanotski is irregular and deeply eroded. (Photo: marcofulle)
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