Katmai National Park and Preserve

Last Updated: 31 January 2001

Katmai National Park, one of the world's most active volcanic centers consists of 15 active volcanoes along the Shelikof Strait. Nearly 10 percent of the 400 some volcanic eruptions that occurred along the Ring of Fire were located in Alaska. The Ring of Fire is a circle of volcanic activity associated with continental plate movement which circles the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic eruptions have deposited ash on the local area over 10 times in the last 7,000 years. Deep in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes steam plumes rise up to bare witness to Kamai's volcanic potential. The June 1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano changed the Kamai dramatically. After the eruption 65 square kilometers (40 sq. miles) of lust green wilderness lay buried beneath hot pumace and ash, as much as 200 meters (700 ft.) deep in some areas. In near by Kodiak, for two days a person could not see a lantern held at arm's length.

The Katmai eruption was 10 times more forceful than the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption. Robert Griggs, exploring the aftermath of the eruption for the National Geographical Society in 1916, came upon a great valley ladden with thousands of steam vents. For this reason Griggs named this area the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Griggs wrote the whole valley as far as the eye could see was full of tens of thousands of smokes curling up from its fissured floor. One thousand steam vents reached 150 meters (500 ft.) into the air, some more than 300 meters (1,000 ft.). Only Greece's Santorini eruption in 1500 B.C. displaced more volcanic matter than Novarupta.

Source: U.S. National Park Service.

For more information write:

Katmai National Park and Preserve

Superintendent

P.O. Box 7

King Salmon, AK 99613

Or call:

907-246-3305

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