We are collaborating with the Alaska Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Observatory to assist in their efforts to describe the hazards of an active volcano on the Alaska Peninsula. Mt. Veniaminof is a massive stratovolcano related to the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the North American plate along the Aleutian Trench. While the last major eruption of the volcano occurred about 3,750 years ago, there have been numerous recent small ash, steam, and lava eruptions from a cinder cone within the caldera.

Our goal is to conduct a radio echo-sounding survey to estimate the volume of ice within the caldera and characterize the geometry of the primary outlet glaciers exiting the caldera. These data are necessary to estimate the risk of lahars, debris flows of hot ash, mud and melted snow that can occur during the eruption of a glacier-covered volcano.