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In the southern mountains of Katmai National Park and Preserve sits Novarupta volcano, which in 1912 belched the 20th century’s largest eruption.

In early July, just over 112 years later, it and its surroundings were a two-week outdoor classroom led by research associate professor Pavel Izbekov of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.

Eight students from across the United States were the latest participants in the International Volcanological Field School, which began in the late 1980s and became a for-credit offering in 2004. 

Katmai, with Novarupta and the related Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, is a prime place for teaching volcanology.

“This is a historical eruption that is well documented,” Izbekov said. “It had a profound impact on the environment and the local population. This emphasizes the importance of volcano research and monitoring.”

Students learn about volcanic processes through examination of the area’s volcanic products. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is famous for its vast deposits of volcanic ash and pyroclastic flow material, which are the primary volcanic products found there.

Novarupta volcano erupted from June 6 to June 8, 1912.

The eruption is considered the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century in terms of the volume of material ejected. The volcano expelled approximately 3.1 to 3.6 cubic miles of magma, about 30 times the volume ejected during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state.

Novarupta’s eruption produced a pyroclastic flow that covered about 40 square miles with ash and pumice to depths of up to 700 feet, destroying all vegetation and animal life in its path. The flow created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, named for the thousands of fumaroles venting steam and gasses after the eruption.

What does Izbekov, as a volcanologist, find most interesting about the Novarupta eruption and its aftermath?

“The magma diversity of the eruption is truly fascinating,” he said. “One of the biggest questions is where the magmas came from? Did they occupy the same magma reservoir prior to eruption or arrive from drastically different domains?”

Students leave the field school with a profound understanding.

“One of the main messages they can take home is that it can take only 60 hours to erupt 13 cubic kilometers of magma and turn a vegetated valley into a Martian desert, which, even after 100 years, will not recover from the devastation,” Izbekov said.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Pavel Izbekov, 907-474-5269, peizbekov@alaska.edu

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