Akutan Volcano





Location: Aleutian Islands, Alaska
54.1N, 166.0W

Elevation: 4,275 ft

Akutan is stratovolcano found on the Akutan Island. The Akutan Island is located in the eastern Aleutian Islands of Alaska. On Sunday, March 10, 1996 a sharp increase in the number and frequency of earthquakes was reported. The largest had a magnitude of around 5.1. Activity declined the following evening, as the number and frequency of the earthquakes dropped dramatically.

Earthquake activity arose again on March 13. Earthquakes were produced every minute and lasted 18 hours.

On March 20th, the Level of Concern Color Code for Akutan was lowered to YELLOW. This was done due to decreasing activity over the past week. The more intense periods of earthquake activity were brought about by the intrusion of magma beneath the volcano. The YELLOW Level of Concern Color Code indicates that the concern of immediate eruption has decreased. It also shows that it is very likely that the volcano will return to quiet over a period of weeks.

On Friday, March 22, geologists reported that earthquake activity still remained above the suspected level. The volcano is still considered to be in a restless state. No eruption has occurred within weeks.

Akutan remains one of the most active volcanoes in Alaska. It erupted at 27 times since 1790. The most recent eruption was in 1992.

Additional Information: Alaska Volcano Observatory.





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