USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-AVO-2026-01-16T02:35:32+00:00

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
U.S. Geological Survey
Thursday, January 15, 2026, 5:47 PM AKST (Friday, January 16, 2026, 02:47 UTC)

ANIAKCHAK (VNUM #312090)
56°54'21" N 158°12'32" W, Summit Elevation 4400 ft (1341 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: UNASSIGNED
Current Aviation Color Code: UNASSIGNED

Strong surface winds blowing to the northwest in the region northwest of Aniakchak and east of Port Heiden have picked up loose volcanic ash and carried it to the northwest today. A cloud of resuspended volcanic ash is visible in satellite data. The National Weather Service has issued a SIGMET for this low-level event and suggests that the maximum cloud height is 6,000 ft (1.8 km) above sea level.

This phenomenon is not the result of volcanic activity and usually occurs seasonally in the spring and fall during times of high winds and dry, snow-free conditions in volcanic areas of Alaska. No eruption is in progress. Aniakchak remains at color code UNASSIGNED due to a temporary power outage affected monitoring data from the volcano. Resuspended volcanic ash should be considered hazardous and could be damaging to aircraft and health.

For more information on volcanic ash and human health, visit the following website: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/

Official warnings about these ash resuspension events are issued by the National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/afc/

Forecasts of airborne ash hazard to aircraft: https://www.weather.gov/aawu/

Volcanic Ash Advisories: https://www.weather.gov/vaac/

Forecasts of ashfall: http://www.weather.gov/afc

Air quality hazards and guidance from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Air Quality: http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/Air/airtoolsweb/Advisories/Index

Aniakchak volcano, located in the central portion of the Alaska Peninsula, consists of a stratovolcano edifice with a 6 mile (10 km) diameter summit caldera. The caldera-forming eruption occurred around 3,500 years ago. Post-caldera eruptions have produced lava domes, tuff cones, and larger spatter and scoria cone structures, including Half-Cone and Vent Mountain, all within the caldera. The most recent eruption occurred in 1931 and created a new vent and lava flows on the western caldera floor while spreading ash over much of southwestern Alaska. Aniakchak volcano is 16 miles (26 km) southeast of the nearest community, Port Heiden, and 416 miles (670 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. It is located in Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Matt Haney, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS mhaney@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497

David Fee, Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI dfee1@alaska.edu (907) 378-5460

Contact AVO: https://avo.alaska.edu/contact

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.