Emmons Lake Volcanic Center
Caldera in United States
Key Facts
Elevation
1,534 m (5,033 ft)
Type
Caldera
Location
55.352°, -162.044°
Region
Aleutian Ridge Volcanic Arc
Rock Type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Tectonic Setting
Subduction zone
Location
Loading map...
Overview
The Emmons Lake Volcanic Center, located north of Volcano Bay and SW of Pavlof volcano, includes the Emmons and Hague stratovolcanoes within the Emmons Lake caldera. The 9 x 15 km caldera contains a narrow elongated lake at its SW end that drains through a breach in the SE rim to the Pacific Ocean. The compound caldera was formed during six voluminous dacitic-to-rhyolitic eruptions between about 294,000 and 26,000 years ago that produced extensive ashflow tuffs.
Mount Emmons, Mount Hague, and Double Crater are post-caldera cones of dominantly basaltic composition that were constructed along the SW-NE trend of the elongated caldera. Some Holocene flows have moved through a gap in the southern caldera rim to within 3 km of the ocean. A large fumarolic area is located on the south side of Mount Hague, and the only reported activity was the emission of steam plumes from Hague in 1990 and 1991.
Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
- Pyroclastic flows and surges
- Large explosive eruptions (VEI 4+)
- Ash fall and tephra deposits
- Lahars and debris flows
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 | Unknown | Historical | Historically active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Nearby Volcanoes in North America Volcanic Regions
Quick Info
- •Smithsonian ID: 312020
- •Evidence: Evidence Credible
- •Epoch: Holocene
About the Photo
Emmons Lake is a 11 x 18 km caldera and is one of the largest calderas in the Aleutian arc. The caldera formed during two large Quaternary eruptions that produced welded tuffs extending to both the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean. This 1988 view from the SW shows Emmons Lake, the southern caldera wall (right), and Mount Emmons, a post-caldera volcano (left). The post-caldera Mount Emmons, Double Crater, and Mount Hague cones are oriented along the same NE trend as the elongate caldera.
Photo by Tom Miller, 1988 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey).
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.