Buzzard Creek
Tuff ring(s) in United States
Key Facts
Elevation
830 m (2,723 ft)
Type
Tuff ring(s)
Location
64.062°, -148.433°
Region
Alaska Peninsula Volcanic Arc
Rock Type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Tectonic Setting
Subduction zone
Location
Loading map...
Overview
Two Holocene tuff rings form craters 300 and 66 m wide near the headwaters of Buzzard Creek at the northern foot of the central Alaska Range NE of the town of Healy along the Parks Highway. Both contain small lakes, and the smaller ring is about 200 m SE of the larger one. The total volume of ejecta, most of which is accessory material, probably does not exceed 0.
001 km3. The ejecta overlies young glacial terraces that correlate with a glacial stage that ended about 10,000 years ago, and radiocarbon dates give an age for the eruption that formed the tuff rings of about 3,000 years. This minor volcanic feature lies along trend with the Aleutian arc, but is located 320 km NE of its nearest Holocene neighbor (Hayes volcano), and directly over the northernmost corner of the subducting Pacific Plate.
Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
Risk Level
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Tectonic Setting
Age & Formation
Eruption Statistics & Analysis
| Metric | Value | Global Ranking | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recorded Eruptions | Unknown | Low | Moderately active volcano |
| Maximum VEI | VEI Unknown | Minor | Local impact potential |
| Recent Activity | 3076 years ago | Historical | Historically active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Nearby Volcanoes in North America Volcanic Regions
Quick Info
- •Smithsonian ID: 315001
- •Evidence: Eruption Dated
- •Epoch: Holocene
About the Photo
A small lake partially fills a 300-m-wide tuff ring, the larger of two craters of Buzzard Creek. Both craters formed during phreatomagmatic eruptions about 3,000 years ago, and are 320 km NE of their nearest neighbor in the Aleutian arc, Hayes volcano.
Photo by Chris Nye (Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Volcano Observatory).
Authority Sources
Related Volcanoes
Basic Information
This page shows basic data from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. For more detailed information, visit the official Smithsonian page.