After 100 years of silence, this Alaska volcano is showing signs of waking up

The Iliamna volcano, located about 140 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, last erupted in 1876. Over the nearly 150 years since then it has periodically ejected smoke and light ash, and rumbled every few years which it is doing once more.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory reported that on 15 June a “flurry of shaking” was detected on Iliamna. Scientists believe that the seismic activity was likely the result of a large avalanche of ice and rock which are frequent on the 10,000-foot volcano.

What kind of threat does Iliamna volcano pose

Currently the US Geological Survey categorizes the threat level of Iliamna as “Green/Normal.” The active Iliamna cone formed roughly 1 million years ago after a fission opened north of two extinct vents known as the North and South Twin Centers.

The typical composite stratovolcano is built on a base of Jurassic granitic rocks on the western side of lower Cook Inlet in the Lake Clark National Park.

While less active than nearby the Redoubt volcano, which covered Anchorage in ash when it last erupted in 1989 to 1990, it is still closely watched, along with 51 other volcanos, by volcanologists. This is due to its potential hazards as 60 percent of the population of Alaska lives in the Cook Inlet region.

According to the Nation Park Service Pedro Bay, Port Alsworth and Ninilchik are among the closest population centers, less than fifty miles from Iliamna, that could be affected as well as Anchorage, the largest city in the state.

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