Crater Peak 1992/9
Start: 22:36:00 September 16, 1992 [1]
Stop: 03:39:00 September 17, 1992 [1]
Event Type: Explosive
Max VEI: 4 [2]
Description: For 220 pages of information on the three 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, please see the USGS Bulletin 2139, available online at: https://www.avo.alaska.edu/pdfs/B2139.pdf ; this file is 9 MB.
From Eichelberger and others (1995): "Following the August eruption, deep seismicity gradually increased, and by mid-September it had returned to levels comparable to mid-June. AVO teams visiting the crater on September 7 and 16 noted nothing unusual. At about 7:30 p.m. ADT on September 16, however, discrete seismic events and weak tremor were detected by the newly reinstalled crater rim station. Tremor amplitude increased at 10:25 p.m. ADT, and at 10:33 p.m. ADT, AVO declared concern color code Red and began the emergency calldown. An eruption began at 10:36 p.m. ADT that lasted 11 minutes. Incandescence was recorded on the video camera at AVO-Anchorage and on the telemetered slow-scan television camera at Kasilof, 120 km southeast of Crater Peak just south of Kenai on the Kenai Peninsula. Weak tremor through the next hour foreshadowed the main phase of the eruption, which began at 12:03 a.m. ADT on September 17. Intermittent bright incandescence could be seen from Anchorage.
"The September 17 eruption lasted 3.6 hours. Pyroclastic flows swept down the south-southeast and southeast flanks of Crater Peak and mixed with snow and ice to become lahars. These flows were similar in appearance to pyroclastic flows, but they were cool and water saturated hours after emplacement. Tephra fallout on the Kidazgeni Glacier generated a debris flow that temporarily dammed the Chakachatna River. Once again, a narrow ballistic field extended at least 10 km from the vent along the south margin of the tephra plume. The eruption closed with a strong swarm of about 50 VT [volcano-tectonic] shocks between 5 and 10 km in depth, which may reflect readjustment of the conduit after magma withdrawal.
"The plume moved eastward, dusted the north edge of Anchorage and deposited about 1.5 mm of ash in Palmer, Wasilla, and nearby communities in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley north of Anchorage. Very light ashfall was reported in the town of Glenallen, 350 km east of Crater Peak."
Eichelberger and others (1995) state that this eruption produced 56 million cubic m of tephra (15 million m Dense Rock Equivalent).
From Eichelberger and others (1995): "Following the August eruption, deep seismicity gradually increased, and by mid-September it had returned to levels comparable to mid-June. AVO teams visiting the crater on September 7 and 16 noted nothing unusual. At about 7:30 p.m. ADT on September 16, however, discrete seismic events and weak tremor were detected by the newly reinstalled crater rim station. Tremor amplitude increased at 10:25 p.m. ADT, and at 10:33 p.m. ADT, AVO declared concern color code Red and began the emergency calldown. An eruption began at 10:36 p.m. ADT that lasted 11 minutes. Incandescence was recorded on the video camera at AVO-Anchorage and on the telemetered slow-scan television camera at Kasilof, 120 km southeast of Crater Peak just south of Kenai on the Kenai Peninsula. Weak tremor through the next hour foreshadowed the main phase of the eruption, which began at 12:03 a.m. ADT on September 17. Intermittent bright incandescence could be seen from Anchorage.
"The September 17 eruption lasted 3.6 hours. Pyroclastic flows swept down the south-southeast and southeast flanks of Crater Peak and mixed with snow and ice to become lahars. These flows were similar in appearance to pyroclastic flows, but they were cool and water saturated hours after emplacement. Tephra fallout on the Kidazgeni Glacier generated a debris flow that temporarily dammed the Chakachatna River. Once again, a narrow ballistic field extended at least 10 km from the vent along the south margin of the tephra plume. The eruption closed with a strong swarm of about 50 VT [volcano-tectonic] shocks between 5 and 10 km in depth, which may reflect readjustment of the conduit after magma withdrawal.
"The plume moved eastward, dusted the north edge of Anchorage and deposited about 1.5 mm of ash in Palmer, Wasilla, and nearby communities in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley north of Anchorage. Very light ashfall was reported in the town of Glenallen, 350 km east of Crater Peak."
Eichelberger and others (1995) state that this eruption produced 56 million cubic m of tephra (15 million m Dense Rock Equivalent).
Impact: Casadevall and Krohn (1995) report that the eruption cloud from Spurr disrupted air traffic routing around the volcano during the eruption, and, several days later also disrupted traffic in the air corridors of the central United States. [16]
Aircraft Impact: Casadevall and Krohn (1995) report that the eruption cloud from Spurr disrupted air traffic routing around the volcano during the eruption, and, several days later also disrupted traffic in the air corridors of the central United States. [16]
Images
References Cited
[1] The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: chronology and summary, 1995
Eichelberger, J. C., Keith, T. E. C., Miller, T. P., and Nye, C. J., 1995, The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: chronology and summary: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 1-18.
full-text PDF 560 KB [2] Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition], 1994
Simkin, Tom, and Siebert, Lee, 1994, Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition]: Tucson, Arizona, Geoscience Press, 349 p.[3] Mt. Spurr's 1992 eruptions, 1993
Alaska Volcano Observatory, 1993, Mt. Spurr's 1992 eruptions: Eos, v. 74, n. 19, p. 217, 221-222.[4] Spurr, 1995
McGimsey, R. G., 1995, Spurr: in Annual report of the world volcanic eruptions in 1992, Bulletin of Volcanic Eruptions, v. 32, p. 94-97.[5] Video of the August 18, 1992, eruption of Crater Peak vent on Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1994
McGimsey, R. G., and Dorava, J. M., 1994, Video of the August 18, 1992, eruption of Crater Peak vent on Spurr Volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-614-B, 14 p.[6] Photographs of the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1993
Neal, C. A., McGimsey, R. G., Doukas, M. P., and Ellersieck, Inyo, 1993, Photographs of the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Spurr Volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-707, 9 p.
[7] Spurr, 1992
Smithsonian Institution, 1992, Spurr: Global Volcanism Network Bulletin v. 17, n. 08, unpaged.[8] Volcanic activity in Alaska: September 1991-September 1992, 1993
McGimsey, Game, 1993, Volcanic activity in Alaska: September 1991-September 1992: Earthquakes and Volcanoes, v. 24, n. 2, p. 60-73.[9] Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1992, 1995
McGimsey, R. G., Neal, C. A., and Doukas, M. P., 1995, Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1992: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-83, 26 p.[10] Explosive emissions of sulfur dioxide from the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1995
Bluth, G. J. S., Scott, C. J., Sprod, I. E., Schnetzler, C. C., Krueger, A. J., and Walter, L. S., 1995, Explosive emissions of sulfur dioxide from the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 37-45.
full-text PDF 328 KB [11] Tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: a preliminary report on distribution, stratigraphy, and composition, 1995
Neal, C. A., McGimsey, R. G., Gardner, C. A., Harbin, M. L., and Nye, C. J., 1995, Tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: a preliminary report on distribution, stratigraphy, and composition: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 65-79.
full-text PDF 579 KB [12] Hybrid wet flows formed by hot pyroclasts interacting with snow during the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Waitt, R. B., 1995, Hybrid wet flows formed by hot pyroclasts interacting with snow during the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 107-118.
full-text PDF 948 KB [13] Use of volcanic glass from ash as a monitoring tool: an example from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Swanson, S. E., Harbin, M. L., and Riehle, J. R., 1995, Use of volcanic glass from ash as a monitoring tool: an example from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 129-137.
full-text PDF 233 KB [14] Whole-rock major- and trace-element chemistry of 1992 ejecta from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Nye, C. J., Harbin, M. L., Miller, T. P., Swanson, S. E., and Neal, C. A., 1995, Whole-rock major- and trace-element chemistry of 1992 ejecta from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 119-128.
full-text PDF 503 KB [15] Lahars from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Meyer, D. F., and Trabant, D. C., 1995, Lahars from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 183-198.
full-text PDF 842 KB [16] Effects of the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions on airports and aviation operations in the United States and Canada, 1995
Casadevall, T. J., and Krohn, M. D., 1995, Effects of the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions on airports and aviation operations in the United States and Canada: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 205-220.
full-text PDF 607 KB [17] Real-time C-band radar observations of 1992 eruption clouds from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1995
Rose, W. I., Kostinski, Alexander, and Kelley, Lee, 1995, Real-time C-band radar observations of 1992 eruption clouds from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 19-26.
full-text PDF 210 KB [18] The Crater Peak (Mt. Spurr), Alaska eruptions of 1992, 1994
National Geophysical Data Center, 1994, The Crater Peak (Mt. Spurr), Alaska eruptions of 1992: Boulder, CO, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center, 6 p.[19] Documenting persistence of volcanic ash clouds from pilot reports (PIREPS): Sept. 17, 1992, eruption of Mt. Spurr, Alaska, 1994
Krohn, M. D., Hogan, M. J., Harman, R. D., and Harrington, W. H., 1994, Documenting persistence of volcanic ash clouds from pilot reports (PIREPS): Sept. 17, 1992, eruption of Mt. Spurr, Alaska [abs.]: Eos, v. 75, n. 16, p. 77.[20] Late Quaternary glacial geology, shoreline morphology, and tephrochronology of the Iliamna/ Naknek/ Brooks Lake area, Southwestern Alaska, 1995
Stilwell, K. B., 1995, Late Quaternary glacial geology, shoreline morphology, and tephrochronology of the Iliamna/ Naknek/ Brooks Lake area, Southwestern Alaska: Utah State University unpublished M.S. thesis, 176 p.Complete Eruption References
Whole-rock major- and trace-element chemistry of 1992 ejecta from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Nye, C. J., Harbin, M. L., Miller, T. P., Swanson, S. E., and Neal, C. A., 1995, Whole-rock major- and trace-element chemistry of 1992 ejecta from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 119-128.
full-text PDF 503 KB 
Mt. Spurr's 1992 eruptions, 1993
Alaska Volcano Observatory, 1993, Mt. Spurr's 1992 eruptions: Eos, v. 74, n. 19, p. 217, 221-222.
The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: chronology and summary, 1995
Eichelberger, J. C., Keith, T. E. C., Miller, T. P., and Nye, C. J., 1995, The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: chronology and summary: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 1-18.
full-text PDF 560 KB 
Documenting persistence of volcanic ash clouds from pilot reports (PIREPS): Sept. 17, 1992, eruption of Mt. Spurr, Alaska, 1994
Krohn, M. D., Hogan, M. J., Harman, R. D., and Harrington, W. H., 1994, Documenting persistence of volcanic ash clouds from pilot reports (PIREPS): Sept. 17, 1992, eruption of Mt. Spurr, Alaska [abs.]: Eos, v. 75, n. 16, p. 77.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet
Spurr, 1995
McGimsey, R. G., 1995, Spurr: in Annual report of the world volcanic eruptions in 1992, Bulletin of Volcanic Eruptions, v. 32, p. 94-97.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet
Video of the August 18, 1992, eruption of Crater Peak vent on Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1994
McGimsey, R. G., and Dorava, J. M., 1994, Video of the August 18, 1992, eruption of Crater Peak vent on Spurr Volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-614-B, 14 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC shelf
Photographs of the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1993
Neal, C. A., McGimsey, R. G., Doukas, M. P., and Ellersieck, Inyo, 1993, Photographs of the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Spurr Volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-707, 9 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC shelf
Spurr, 1992
Smithsonian Institution, 1992, Spurr: Global Volcanism Network Bulletin v. 17, n. 08, unpaged.
Volcanic activity in Alaska: September 1991-September 1992, 1993
McGimsey, Game, 1993, Volcanic activity in Alaska: September 1991-September 1992: Earthquakes and Volcanoes, v. 24, n. 2, p. 60-73.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet
Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1992, 1995
McGimsey, R. G., Neal, C. A., and Doukas, M. P., 1995, Volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1992: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-83, 26 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC shelf
Explosive emissions of sulfur dioxide from the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1995
Bluth, G. J. S., Scott, C. J., Sprod, I. E., Schnetzler, C. C., Krueger, A. J., and Walter, L. S., 1995, Explosive emissions of sulfur dioxide from the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 37-45.
full-text PDF 328 KB 
Tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: a preliminary report on distribution, stratigraphy, and composition, 1995
Neal, C. A., McGimsey, R. G., Gardner, C. A., Harbin, M. L., and Nye, C. J., 1995, Tephra-fall deposits from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: a preliminary report on distribution, stratigraphy, and composition: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 65-79.
full-text PDF 579 KB 
Hybrid wet flows formed by hot pyroclasts interacting with snow during the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Waitt, R. B., 1995, Hybrid wet flows formed by hot pyroclasts interacting with snow during the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 107-118.
full-text PDF 948 KB 
Use of volcanic glass from ash as a monitoring tool: an example from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Swanson, S. E., Harbin, M. L., and Riehle, J. R., 1995, Use of volcanic glass from ash as a monitoring tool: an example from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 129-137.
full-text PDF 233 KB 
Lahars from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Meyer, D. F., and Trabant, D. C., 1995, Lahars from the 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 183-198.
full-text PDF 842 KB 
Effects of the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions on airports and aviation operations in the United States and Canada, 1995
Casadevall, T. J., and Krohn, M. D., 1995, Effects of the 1992 Crater Peak eruptions on airports and aviation operations in the United States and Canada: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 205-220.
full-text PDF 607 KB 
Real-time C-band radar observations of 1992 eruption clouds from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 1995
Rose, W. I., Kostinski, Alexander, and Kelley, Lee, 1995, Real-time C-band radar observations of 1992 eruption clouds from Crater Peak, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska: in Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, p. 19-26.
full-text PDF 210 KB 
The Crater Peak (Mt. Spurr), Alaska eruptions of 1992, 1994
National Geophysical Data Center, 1994, The Crater Peak (Mt. Spurr), Alaska eruptions of 1992: Boulder, CO, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center, 6 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet
Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition], 1994
Simkin, Tom, and Siebert, Lee, 1994, Volcanoes of the world [2nd edition]: Tucson, Arizona, Geoscience Press, 349 p.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC shelf
The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska, 1995
Keith, T. E. C., (ed.), 1995, The 1992 eruptions of Crater Peak Vent, Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2139, 220 p.
full-text PDF 9 MB 