Mount Veniaminof

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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
Elevation8,225 ft (2,507 m)[1]
Prominence8,199 ft (2,499 m)[2]
Listing
Coordinates56°11′53″N 159°23′27″W / 56.19806°N 159.39083°W / 56.19806; -159.39083
Geography
Parent rangeAleutian Range
Topo mapUSGS Chignik A-5
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano with a summit caldera
Volcanic arc/beltAleutian Arc
Last eruption2021
Designated1967

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]

Map showing volcanoes of Alaska Peninsula.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Veniaminof". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  2. ^ "Alaskan ultra-prominent peaks". peaklist.org. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  3. ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
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