A dormant volcano comes to life after 800 years

Active volcanoes are everywhere, but it’s always a scary thought. Volcanic explosions are not common, and yet a dormant volcano comes to life after 800 years. Although rare, even dormant volcanoes can show signs of activity. Follow the route to learn about Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano that is showing signs of awakening.

Over Mt Edgecumbe

Mount Edgecumbe is on the southern end of Kruzof Island, Alaska. It is approximately 9.9 miles east of the Queen Charlotte Fault. The height of this mountain is 3,201 feet. Although this large volcano is close to towns and homes, there hasn’t been a major eruption in over 4000 years. The Tlingit aborigines lived near the mountain. They called it “L’ux” which means “to flash” or “to blink”. It is likely that they discovered the mountain while it was smoking or erupting.

Mount Edgecumbe is a unique mountain. The first recorded ascent was in 1805 by Captain Urey Lisianski. The trail is about 6.8 miles long and ends with the snow covered ground and red volcanic ash above the tree line. Hikers can also hike to the crater rim. The path is not barren. Instead, a three-sided cabin sits four miles up the trail. The trail is not as difficult as others and is rated as moderate. However, the last three miles to the summit are steep and can be muddy. Hikers may also encounter bears as they are widespread in the area.

Although the volcano hasn’t experienced a massive eruption in over 4,000 years, a vertigo has startled many residents of Sitka, Alaska. Oliver “Porky” Bickar, a local prankster, planned this prank for over four years. He set fire to over 70 old tires in the crater, causing dark smoke to rise. However, this looked like an eruption, with the local prankster spraying “April Fool’s Day” at the rim of the volcano. The FAA and the Sitka Police Department were previously notified. It’s considered one of the top ten April Fools’ jokes of all time.

Will Mt Edgecumbe come to life?

While Mt. Edgecumbe has been dormant for 800 to 900 years, scientists have found some signs that it may be coming back to life. For example, the mountain experienced a small earthquake swarm. Scientists began monitoring the activity and noted deformations on the volcano’s surface. There was a 10.5 inch change. It is likely that the change is due to upwelling magma. Scientists found out with a new analysis system. Although the earthquakes happened in 2020, magma has been rising at about 3.4 inches per year every year since 2018. While magma can rise in the volcano, there are no signs it will erupt.

Signs that a volcano might erupt

Volcanoes are interesting, they don’t always erupt over thousands of years. Instead, volcanoes sometimes erupt quickly. The fastest eruption lasted less than an hour. So how do we know when a volcano may erupt? The most common signs of a volcanic eruption are magma rising to the surface, swelling and cracking of the ground surface, and an increase in intense and frequent earthquakes. Volcanoes usually show signs of eruption, so Mt Edgecumbe is unlikely to be on the verge of an eruption.

Active volcanoes around the world

Although volcanic eruptions are rare, there are still active volcanoes around the world. For example, there are approximately 1,350 probable active volcanoes worldwide. An active volcano near Seattle and Portland is Mount St. Helens. This volcano is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc with over 160 other active volcanoes. Mount St. Helens has erupted multiple times. It remains active and the worst eruption was in 1980. During this eruption 57 people were killed. Not only were people killed, but some 250 homes, 47 bridges, 185 miles of highway and 15 miles of railroad were completely destroyed. The eruption was caused by a powerful 5.1 magnitude earthquake that resulted in a debris avalanche. It also changed the mountaintop elevation from 9,677 feet to 8,365 feet.

Another active volcano is Mount Merapi, an active stratovolcano. It is located in Indonesia with over 100 active volcanoes. It is very active and frequent eruptions are common. Mount Merapi is so active that it is common to see smoke rising from the mountaintop. On October 25, 2010, the volcano erupted, killing about 353 people in a month. Another 350,000 fled their homes, which were destroyed by pyroclastic flows and heavy rains.

Also in Indonesia, Mount Semeru erupted in 2021. This dangerous eruption killed at least 69 people and injured 104. The oldest record of an eruption from this volcano dates back to 1818. As recently as 2022, Mount Semeru was erupting, prompting evacuations due to monsoon rains that collapsed the mountain’s lava dome.

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