“Alaska has 70 potentially ACTIVE VOLCANOES-that’s about 80 percent of all the active volcanoes in the United States”

National Geographic 5,000 awesome facts

“Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields which have been active within the last two million years. Of these volcanoes, about 90 have been active within the last 10,000 years (and might be expected to erupt again), and more than 50 have been active within historical time (since about 1760, for Alaska).” U.S Geological Survey

What’s a volcano anyway? A volcano is formed when one tectonic plate moves under another. It creates an opening on the surface of the earth that allows material warmer than its surroundings to escape from its interior. When this material escapes, it causes an eruption, either with a mild flow of lava or one that spews matter into the air. Finally it slowly is then formed by the magma that rises through the earth’s weak spots and little cracks on the surface.

There are 3 kinds of volcanoes; active, dormant or extinct. Active are ones that recently had an eruption and are likely to blow again where dormant ones are sitting idle with the chance of them maybe erupting again. Extinct ones are just like it says. They will likely not ever erupt again and have ran their course. Likely.

Alaska has 240 recorded eruptions since 1760 from 30 volcanoes. That averages about one a year.

There were 3 that erupted concurrently with each other in 2021; the Great Sitkin, Pavlof, and Semisopochnoi.

The largest active volcano is Mount Katmai which is located in the Katmai National Park and Reserve.

The biggest eruption in Alaska, which is also one of 5 biggest eruptions in history, happened in 1912. The Anaiakchak volcano expelled 3 cubic miles of magma, in where the ash reached as far Africa. And know what? Not one person was injured.

Alaska’s volcanoes are the northern part of the string of volcanoes of the “Ring of Fire,”; a site of seismic activity around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.

And I thought it was just a song.