Ashfall Risks in Alaska's Aleutian Islands and Cook Inlet

Ashfall Risks in Alaska's Aleutian Islands and Cook Inlet

GEOG-220 Final Project

The increased seismic activity in the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula raises many concerns about possible eruptions in Alaska in the future. The volcanoes in Alaska are active, having mostly ash-based, effusive eruptions. The ash of Alaskan volcanoes affects air travel more than anything, with the ash getting into engines and obscuring the windows. Due to Alaska’s lack of roads and its many islands, air travel is one of the main modes of transportation for the state. Alaska also has a very busy airspace, as the state serves commercial, military, and personal flights. There are two major groups of volcanoes: the Cook Inlet (Spurr, Redoubt, Augustine, Trident) and Aleutian Islands (Great Sitkin, Cleveland, Okmok, Majushin, Shishaldin). The Cook Inlet group in particular hosts many National Parks as well as many highly populated areas of the state, so many Alaskans will not be affected by pyroclastic flow or lahars, but are more likely to be affected by ashfall.

Wiley, Grace

Fall 2025

Poster

GEOG-220

Cartography Spa Data Vis/GIS

Curri, Neil

Complete

Fall 2025