Norwich bulletin., 1922-02-27
IN THE DAYS NEWS
OUR VOLCANIC REGIONS

"The waking into activity of Mount
Redoubt in Alaska just reported by
wireless and cable serves to remind
the people of the United States that
in the Alaska peninsula and the Aleu-
tian Islands, which sweep from 1t al
most to Asia, they possess one Of the
most extensive and most active vol
canic regions on the face OF the earth.
says a bulletin issued from the Wash
ington, D. c. headquarters of the Ma
tional Geographic Society:
Redoubt is not remote from the set
bulletin, but rises close to the west
tied portions OF Alaska" continues the
ern shore of Cook Inlet, at the head
of which is Anchorage. an important
port on the Alaska Railroad recent
~ constructed by the Federal Govern
ment. This mountain and companion
peak Illiamna, are conspicuous land
marks for ships which steam up Cook
Inlet They are almost perfect cones
and with their snow-covered caps
serve very well as American versions
of the famous Fujiyama OF Japan. Re
doubt forms. so far as is now known,
the landward end of the long chain
of volcanoes which stretch TO ths
southwestward along the Aleutan Is
lands for more than 1900 miles, and
which have been spouting fire at in
tervals for hundreds of thousands Of
years.
Although Redoubt. passive for near
" 20 years, is showing only clouds OF
steam, those who have observed the
volcanoes of the Alaskan chain are
not treasured, for these volcanoes have
have a disconcerting way of blowing
their heads off with little warning
Katmai. 200 miles to the south. which
is one of the chain that had long been
dormant, exploded suddenly in 1921
constituting one of the dozen greatest
eruptions Of historic times. A scien-
tific expedition sent to the crater by
the National Geographic Society found
that two cubic miles of material had
been blown from this previously pas
sive mountain. 1t was while making
a study Of Katmsi that The Societyt
expedition found that unique natural
phenomenon. The Valley of Ten Thou
sand Smokes Augustine Mountain, In
Cook Inlet less than 100 miles from
Redoubt. and long noted for its per-
feet cone. blew its top off suddenly In
1888 leaving only aged stump. The
whole Alaskan volcanic chain is q unit
of volcanic action. and it IS always
problematical where the next outburst
will occur.
TO scientists one OF the significant
| IN BleCIlOn Win Inc exist
ence Of the extensive volcanic region
in Alaska is the fact that Il is situa-
ed where in the future al least II win
be easily accessible for study. And
there Is much room for the study OF
!. volcanoes. Although volcanism was
probably one OF the first OF Natures
, spectacular phenomena to thrill man
II presents one OF the few obviou,
problems about which science has No
satisfactory hypothesis. Dust where
the heat comes from which melts Oh,
tone, why 1t is concentrated within
defenite areas from what depths IN,
molten material rises and why II rise,
lI-these are some OF the problems about
which there has been much specula.
ton but in regard TO which few salts.
factory theories exist
2 'Tell-tale fossils and types of rocl
r show that the mountains of the Alss
Il kan peninsula and the Aleutian Is.
lands are older than either the Hims
/. layas or the Alps systems which AZ
n practically without volcanoes. II doe
/. not follow. that volcanic activity ar
e companies age. for the Appalachians
among the oldest mountains Of tn
V earth, have no volcanoes"