November 2, 2024

Ice and Fire: The Tale of Frosty, Alaska’s Dormant Stratovolcano

The volcano has been inactive for thousands of years, the rock below its glaciated peak informs a story of its lively past.The image above, gotten by Landsat 9s OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on April 22, 2023, shows Frostys 5,670-foot (1,728-meter) peak and the close-by town of Cold Bay to the north.Geologic surveys of the volcano show that Frostys top caldera is made up of 2 coalescing craters. During the later phases of its development, activity shifted to a new primary vent, creating its contemporary two-crater summit.Close up in-depth view of Frosty Volcano from the image above.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, explosive activity happened at periods throughout the growth of Frostys main cone. Just remnants of the volcano remain, with separated peaks that are fragments of the original caldera rim.Both volcanoes have been fairly peaceful for thousands of years.