1912 Eruption of Novarupta
The 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Katmai, lasted for 60 hours, and blasted 30 times more magma then the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It caused Kodiak to be overwhelmed with 2 feet of falling ash, and blinded the communities for several days. No lives were reported lost on the Kodiak archipelago during the eruption and ash fall. Mount Novarupta is located across the Shelikoff Strait in Katmai National Park, about 90 miles from the village of Afognak. In fact, during the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, villagers on the mainland, were forced to evacuate from their homes, the Coast Guard cutter Manning, transferred 115 villagers from Katmai to Afognak.
To learn more about the volcanoes, their history and status visit (AVO) “The Alaska Volcano Observatory website.