Historically active volcanoes of Alaska

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Historically active volcanoes of Alaska
Abstract:
This data lists the historically active volcanoes of Alaska and the year of the last major eruptive event. The volcanoes listed meet at least one of the following criteria since 1700 CE: 1) Documented, unquestioned eruption OR 2) A strongly suspected eruption, often an eruption documented in a historical account with very little information. Current geologic knowledge must not contradict the eruption account, OR 3) Persistent (usually on the order of decades, but certainly longer than several months) fumaroles, with temperatures (where measured) within approximately 10 degrees C of the boiling point, OR 4) Significant, measured, volcanic-related, non-eruptive deformation, OR 5) Documented earthquake swarm with strongly suspected volcanic cause. All files can be downloaded free of charge from the DGGS website (<http://doi.org/10.14509/30142>).
Supplemental_Information:
The DGGS metadata standard extends the FGDC standard to include elements that are required to facilitate our internal data management. These elements, referred to as "layers," group and describe files that have intrinsic logical or topological relationships and correspond to subdirectories within the data distribution package. The metadata layer provides the metadata, project border files, or other documentation files. Attribute information for each data layer is described in this metadata file under the "Entity_and_Attribute_Information" section. Data layer contents: >volcano-locations: point data that provides the location and the year (when known) of the last major eruptive event for each volcano
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Cameron, C.E., Schaefer, J.R., and Mulliken, K.M., 2018, Historically active volcanoes of Alaska: Miscellaneous Publication MP 133 v. 3, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 2 sheets

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -178.793680
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 179.597700
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 62.005720
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 51.788870

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar_Date: 2018
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a point data set.

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    mp133v1-2-volcano-locations
    Point data that provides the location and the year (when known) of the last major eruptive event for each volcano. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys)

    VOLCANO
    The names of the volcanoes in this dataset (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    The volcano names reflect the common use name used by staff at the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The names of the volcanoes in this dataset were taken from U.S. Geological Survey, 1:250,000-scale topographic maps. The names were modified by dropping terms such as "Mount" or "Peak."

    LATITUDE
    Latitude of the volcano location (NAD83 datum) (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    Range of values
    Minimum:51.7887
    Maximum:62.0057
    Units:degrees

    LONGITUDE
    longitude of the volcano location (NAD83 datum) (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    Range of values
    Minimum:179.5977
    Maximum:-178.79368
    Units:degrees

    OFFICIALNA
    Official name used in the Geologic Database of Information on Volcanoes in Alaska (GeoDIVA). (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    text

    LASTERUPT
    Year of last major eruptive event. For the purposes of this dataset, a major eruptive event is considered to be one in which juvenile lava erupt as a lava flow or dome or as an explosive column reaching an altitude of several thousand meters above the vent. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    ValueDefinition
    0Zero (0) field values indicate that the year of the last major eruptive event is unknown.

    Range of values
    Minimum:1912
    Maximum:2018
    Units:date

    LASTERUPTI
    The year of last suspected eruptive event for those volcanoes with no certain historical eruptions. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    ValueDefinition
    NULLBlank (NULL) field values indicate that the year of the last major eruptive event is known.

    Range of values
    Minimum:1796
    Maximum:1987
    Units:date

    REASON
    Brief description how each volcano met the historically active criteria. For for the most current and comprehensive information about active volcanoes in Alaska, we encourage users to see the Alaska Volcano Observatory website (https://www.avo.alaska.edu/). (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    text

    CITATION1A, CITATION1B, CITATION2A, CITATION2B, CITATION2C, CITATION3A, CITATION3B
    These fields provide up to three overview references that are pertinent to the historical activity of the volcano. To facilitate compatibility with software that imposes 254 character limits on attribute fields, these files subdivide each of the citation fields into 254 character strings. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    text

    VNUM
    Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program record identifier used by the Geologic Database of Information on Volcanoes in Alaska (GeoDIVA). (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff)

    ValueDefinition
    NULLBlank (NULL) field values indicate that the volcanic vent has not been assigned a record identifier in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program.

    number

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    Cartography by: P.E. Gallagher and K.M. Mulliken

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    Metadata Manager
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    (907)451-5050 (FAX)
    dggspubs@alaska.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays

Why was the data set created?

The purpose of this dataset is to document the location and most recent eruptive events of the historically active volcanoes throughout Alaska.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    Cameron, C.E. and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff, 2016 (source 1 of 1)
    Cameron, C.E., and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff, 2013, Geologic Database of Information on Volcanoes in Alaska (GeoDIVA): Alaska Volcano Observatory, Fairbanks, AK.

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution: data compilation

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 2018 (process 1 of 1)
    Data compilation - The volcano names, date of last eruptive event, and location information in this dataset comes from the AVO website, www.avo.alaska.edu, accessed in December 2018. The volcano information on the AVO website is contained within a database and was compiled almost exclusively by Cheryl Cameron. This database contains information on all published reports about Quaternary and younger Alaskan volcanism. The volcano names, locations, and eruptive history information found in the database is compiled by studying all locatable published documents. All of the locations were entered into the database, plotted in a GIS, and visually checked for accuracy. Where all published locations were inaccurate, new locations were generated by plotting a point within the GIS using a USGS digital topographic map. AVO website and database is extensively reviewed by Alaska Volcano Observatory staff and work to implement updates and corrections is ongoing. Although the database contains information on all volcanic features in Alaska with activity within the last two million years, the list given in this publication is for "historically active" volcanoes. To be considered "historically active" the volcanoes listed meet at least one of the following criteria since 1700 CE: The volcanoes listed meet at least one of the following criteria since 1700 CE: 1) Documented, unquestioned eruption OR 2) A strongly suspected eruption, often an eruption documented in a historical account with very little information. Current geologic knowledge must not contradict the eruption account, OR 3) Persistent (usually on the order of decades, but certainly longer than several months) fumaroles, with temperatures (where measured) within approximately 10 degrees C of the boiling point, OR 4) Significant, measured, volcanic-related, non-eruptive deformation, OR 5) Documented earthquake swarm with strongly suspected volcanic cause.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • Cameron, C.E. and Alaska Volcano Observatory Staff, 2018

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    Cameron, C.E., 2005, Latitudes and longitudes of volcanoes in Alaska: Raw Data File RDF 2005-3, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 p
    Cameron, C.E., Triplehorn, J.H., and Robar, C.L., 2003, Bibliography of information on Alaska volcanoes: Miscellaneous Publication MP 131, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Nye, C.J., 1995, Volcanoes of Alaska: Information Circular IC 38, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 2 sheets, scale 1:4,000,000
    Robbins, S.D., 2010, Active volcanoes of Kamchatka and northern Kurile Islands: Miscellaneous Publication MP 137, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 3 sheets, scale 1:3,500,000
    Cameron, C.E., Hendricks, K.A., and Nye, C.J., 2017, Historically active volcanoes of Alaska reference deck: Information Circular IC 59 v. 2, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 4 p

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    The volcano names, date of last eruptive event, and location information in this dataset comes from the AVO website, www.avo.alaska.edu, accessed in December 2016. The volcano information on the AVO website is contained within a database and was compiled almost exclusively by Cheryl Cameron, and reviewed by staff of the Alaska Volcano Observatory. This database contains information on all published reports about Quaternary and younger Alaskan volcanism. The volcano names, locations, and eruptive history information found in the database is compiled by studying all locatable published documents. All of the locations were entered into the database, plotted in a GIS, and visually checked for accuracy. Where all published locations were inaccurate, new locations were generated by plotting a point within the GIS using a USGS digital topographic map.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Location values were compiled from existing published resources and plotted using a GIS to visually verify accuracy. Where published locations of volcanic features appeared inaccurate, new locations were generated by creating a point on USGS digital topographic maps (using the largest scale available, 1:63,000 or 1:250,000) within the GIS.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    The volcanoes listed meet at least one of the following criteria since 1700 CE: 1) Documented, unquestioned eruption OR 2) A strongly suspected eruption, often an eruption documented in a historical account with very little information. Current geologic knowledge must not contradict the eruption account, OR 3) Persistent (usually on the order of decades, but certainly longer than several months) fumaroles, with temperatures (where measured) within approximately 10 degrees C of the boiling point, OR 4) Significant, measured, volcanic-related, non-eruptive deformation, OR 5) Documented earthquake swarm with strongly suspected volcanic cause.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Not applicable

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints:
This report, map, and/or dataset is available directly from the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (see contact information below).
Use_Constraints:
Any hard copies or published datasets utilizing these datasets shall clearly indicate their source. If the user has modified the data in any way, the user is obligated to describe the types of modifications the user has made. The user specifically agrees not to misrepresent these datasets, nor to imply that changes made by the user were approved by the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. The State of Alaska makes no express or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    Metadata Manager
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    (907)451-5050 (FAX)
    dggspubs@alaska.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    MP 133 v. 3

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    The State of Alaska makes no expressed or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 31-Dec-2018
Metadata author:
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Attn: Simone Montayne
Metadata Manager
3354 College Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
USA

(907)451-5020 (voice)
(907)451-5050 (FAX)
dggspubs@alaska.gov

Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.9.21 on Mon Dec 31 17:00:55 2018