Novarupta

Novarupta is a volcanic vent on the Alaska Peninsula within Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States. It is best known for a massive eruption in 1912 that is regarded as one of the most powerful volcanic events of the 20th century.

The eruption began on June 6, 1912, and lasted for about 60 hours. The main vent produced a vast plume of ash and pumice, creating a new vent at the site that became known as Novarupta. The eruption released enormous amounts of volcanic material and generated pyroclastic flows and lahars that spread across the surrounding region.

The eruption blanketed enormous areas with ash and pumice, burying the topography and eventually forming the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a long valley densely lined with fumaroles and steam vents created as the ash deposits cooled and the surrounding ground heated. The event is one of the most studied of the modern era.

The scale of the eruption prompted scientific expeditions, notably by Robert Griggs and others; the area was designated Katmai National Monument in 1918 and re-designated as Katmai National Park and Preserve in 1980. Novarupta’s eruption and the subsequent geography of the region helped shape understanding of explosive volcanism, ash dispersal, and volcanic gas emissions.

Novarupta remains a focus of volcanology and a key feature within the park, illustrating how a single eruption can reshape a landscape and influence park conservation and research.