Alaska Volcano Observatory | Shishaldin

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Shishaldin
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Shishaldin
Description
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Official Name:
Shishaldin Volcano
Seismically Monitored:
Yes
Color Code:
YELLOW
Alert Level:
ADVISORY
Elevation:
2857m (9373ft)
Latitude:
54.7554
Longitude:
-163.9711
Smithsonian VNum:
311360
Pronunciation:
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Nearby Towns:
False Pass 23 mi (38 km)
NE
Pauloff Harbor 55 mi (88 km)
SE
Cold Bay 58 mi (93 km)
NE
King Cove 69 mi (111 km)
NE
Belkofski 80 mi (129 km)
NE
Distance from Anchorage: 679 mi (1093 km)
Description
From Miller and others (1998)
[1]
: "Shishaldin Volcano, located near the center of Unimak Island, is a spectacular symmetrical cone about 16 km in diameter at the base. The mountain, which rises to a summit 2857 m above sea level, is the highest peak in the Aleutian Islands and has a small summit crater from which a steady cloud of steam is emitted. The upper 2000 m is almost entirely covered by perennial snow and ice. It is flanked to the northwest by 24 monogenetic parasitic cones
[2]
. The Shishaldin cone is less than 10,000 year old and is constructed on a glacially eroded remnant of an ancestral soma and shield
[2]
, which in turn are underlain by volcaniclastic rocks of probable late Tertiary age
[3]
. Fournelle (1988)
[2]
suggests that the basement may consist, at least in part, of plutonic rocks."
Name Origin
Tebenkov (1852) named this volcano "So[pka] Shishaldinskaya," which was later transliterated to "Shishaldin Volcano." G.A. Sarichev reported its Unangam Tunuu name as "Agajedan (Grewingk, 1850). Wagner (1937) wrote that it was named Volcan de Fernandez, by Martinez (Orth, 1971).
References Cited
[1]
Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska
, 1998
Miller, T. P., McGimsey, R. G., Richter, D. H., Riehle, J. R., Nye, C. J., Yount, M. E., and Dumoulin, J. A., 1998, Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-0582, 104 p.
title page PDF
52
intro and TOC PDF
268 KB
eastern part - Wrangell to Ukinrek Maars PDF
972 KB
central part - Chiginagak to Cleveland PDF
2,463 KB
western part - Carlisle to Kiska PDF
956 KB
references PDF
43 KB
[2]
Geology and petrology of Shishaldin volcano, Unimak Island, Aleutian Arc, Alaska
, 1988
Fournelle, J. H., 1988, Geology and petrology of Shishaldin volcano, Unimak Island, Aleutian Arc, Alaska: The Johns Hopkins University Ph.D. dissertation, 507 p., 2 plates, scale unknown.
[3]
Reconnaissance geologic map of the Cold Bay and False Pass quadrangles, Alaska
, 1978
McLean, H., Engelhardt, C. L., and Howell, D. G., 1978, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Cold Bay and False Pass quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-0323, unpaged, 1 plate.
Current Activity
April 22, 2026, 11:15 am
Unrest persists at Shishaldin Volcano, with seismic and infrasound activity remaining elevated over the past day. Satellite and web camera views of the volcano were obscured by clouds.
Local seismic and infrasound sensors, web cameras, and a geodetic network are used to monitor Shishaldin Volcano. In addition to the local monitoring network, AVO uses nearby geophysical networks, regional infrasound and lightning data, and satellite images to detect eruptions.
Recent Updates
Low-level unrest continues with ongoing seismic and infrasound signals.
Apr 22nd, 2026 11:15:22 AM
Low-level unrest continues with ongoing seismic and infrasound signals.
Apr 21st, 2026 11:08:36 AM
Low-level unrest continues with seismic tremor and sulphur dioxide emissions.
Apr 20th, 2026 11:59:32 AM
Low-level unrest continues, with infrasound, and tremor observed.
Apr 19th, 2026 11:05:06 AM
Low-level unrest continues, with infrasound, and tremor observed. Sulfur dioxide plume observed in satellite data.
Apr 18th, 2026 10:23:50 AM
Webcams
Shishaldin [BRPK, 1320 ft]
Cold Bay - SW
Shishaldin [ISLZ, 2080 ft]
Shishaldin [WTUG, 2087 ft]
Webicorder
RSAM
Last 24 hours, 10 minute average.
SSLS - Last 24 hours, 10 minute average.
Color Code Timeline
An explanation of color codes and alert levels can be found
here
.
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Before an eruption
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Ashfall & Preparedness Information
Ashfall impacts & preparedness (US Geological Survey)
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Ash Alert! Pamphlet (AK Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management)
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During and After an Eruption
National Weather Service Ashfall Warnings are posted here when in effect
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Other Useful Links
Citizen Science: Ashfall collection instructions
Citizen Science: IS ASH FALLING? Report your observations (yes or no!)
Ash Forecasting
Mathematical models developed by the USGS forecast various aspects of how a volcanic ash plume will interact with wind—where, how high, and how fast ash particles will be transported in the atmosphere, as well as where ash will fall out and accumulate on the ground. AVO runs these models when a volcano is restless by assuming a reasonable hypothetical eruption, to provide a pre-eruptive forecast of areas likely to be affected. During an ongoing eruption, AVO will update the forecast with actual observations (eruption start time and duration, plume height) as they become available.
View the current airborne ash cloud models for Shishaldin
Ashfall thickness forecast
The Ash3d model was developed by the USGS to forecast how a volcanic ash plume will interact with wind and where ash will fall out and accumulate on the ground. AVO runs these models twice daily when a volcano is restless by assuming a reasonable
hypothetical
eruption altitude and duration. The map shows the model results of ashfall thickness for areas that are likely to be affected, if one were to occur. During an ongoing eruption, AVO will update the forecast with actual observations (eruption start time and duration, plume height) as they become available, and these plots will be automatically updated. The
National Weather Service
Anchorage Forecast Office will issue the official ashfall warning product and post them at
weather.gov/afc
THESE PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE CURRENT.
During an actual eruption, see National Weather Service forecasts of ashfall:
https://weather.gov/afc
.
Ashfall Forecast
Click on the X on the graphic (upper right) to expand the map to show the map legend.
Ashfall Start Time
This map shows the modeled estimate of the time it would take for ashfall to begin following an eruption. It corresponds to the ashfall thickness forecast map shown above. This map uses the start time of either the twice-daily hypothetical model runs (time shown in the legend) or the actual eruption start time (if one were to occur). In the case of an actual eruption, the National Weather Service Anchorage Forecast Office will issue the official ashfall warning product that includes the ashfall start time and post them at
weather.gov/afc
THESE PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE CURRENT.
During an actual eruption, see National Weather Service forecasts of ashfall:
https://weather.gov/afc
.
Ashfall Start Times Forecast
Click on the X on the graphic (upper right) to expand the map to show the map legend.
USGS Volcano Notification Service
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