Katmai, Alaska

"Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes"

By A. van Kranenburg

The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes was created during the eruption of Mt. Katmai.
Mt. Katmai collapsed on itself like an ice cream cone.
Before the eruption, Mt. Katmai was a gorgeous mountain with three peaks poking more than 7,ooo feet into the air.
Now, there is an aquamarine lake rimmed by canyon walls 300 feet high.
Mt. Katmai is a mystery to scientists becuase the mountain imploded rather than exploded.

Researchers beleived that Mt. Katmai itself was the source of the ash and rock which covered the valley.
Later studies concluded that the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes showed almost all the material came from nearby Novarupta.
Novarupta is Latin for "new vent" and today is a cake of gray rock about 150 feet high.
Curiously, the Mt. Katmai eruption was the most powerful eruption to occur in record history,
but no one knew where the ash was coming from in Kodiak,Alaska. ( a town 100 miles away)
No lives were lost becuase Mt. Katmai was located in such a remote area.
If the area had been populated, it would have been a Pompei all over again. The aftermath would have been devastating.

Even though no lives were lost in the eruption, Kodiak was blanketed in ash and experienced frequent seismic disturbances.
For three days the town was in darkness resulting in an evacuation.
There was little property damage. The biggest loss was the Kodiak Radio Station. At the time of the eruption, lightening struck the station causing it to burn down and cut off all communication to the outside world.


Researchers Rest at Mt. Katmai	Vally of Ten Thousand Smokes	Majestic Mountains

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