1. Novarupta/ Katami Eruption
Alaska, June 1912
Novarupta/Katami, a volcano in Alaska that erupted in June of 1912, is considered to be the most powerful eruption of the twentieth century.

2. Novarupta is a shield volcano that erupted through a vent, the eruption used up all the magma under Novarupta, and Mt. Katami collapsed due to lack of support

3. The pyroclastic flow from Novarupta created the valley of 10,000 smokes named for its abundant plumes of steam when the valley was discovered.

4. Novarupta erupted and sent 60 hours of ash, tephra and gas that blanketed 30 cubic kilometers. (roughly 7 cubic miles) The ash covered most of southern Alaska, parts of Canada, several US states, and reached Africa 8 days after the eruption ended. The pic is 82 years after the eruption

5. There are no known human fatalities from the eruption, wildlife on the other hand is a different story. Villages nearby were buried though, many houses collapsing under the weight of the ash. The inhabitants of the villages remained unharmed.
Pics 1-3 (Katami Village) 30 km away
Pic 4 (Kodiak) 100 miles away

6. Novarupta is located in southern Alaska, Pic A (world) shows its general location; Pic B (close up Alaska) shows its location versus that of Kodiak, that was covered in ash; and Pic C (ash) gives a look at the ash amount compared to that of other Alaskan volcanos.

7. Alaska is located on the North American plate above a convergent boundary with the Pacific Plate.

8. Novarupta is located right on the convergent border of the North American plate and the Pacific plate. The eruption was likely caused by friction between the plates.

9. Volcanos can occur at convergent boundaries such as the one between the Nazca Plate and the South American plate.

10. The US is at risk for volcanic eruptions in Alaska and the Northwest Pacific region. Inhabitants of these areas should be prepared to flee in the case of an eruption, and home insurance is probably a good idea.

11. Works Cited
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