Mount Spurr

Mount Spurr is an 11,070-foot (3,370 m) volcano in the Tordrillo Mountains of the Alaska Range, 81 miles west of Anchorage. Its two historical eruptions, in 1953 and 1992, came from the Crater Peak vent and both deposited ash on Anchorage.[1]

Name

The mountain is named for Josiah Edward Spurr, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist who led an expedition to the area in 1898. Its Dena’ina Athabascan name, K’idazq’eni, means “that which is burning inside.”[1]

Geology

Spurr is a stratovolcano, the highest in the Aleutian Arc, formed by subduction-zone volcanism; its rocks are less than 10,000 years old. The summit cone sits inside a horseshoe-shaped caldera about 3 miles wide that is open to the south. A sector collapse in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene destroyed an ancestral Spurr, sending a debris avalanche more than 15 miles to the southeast.[1]

Eruptions

Both historical eruptions came from Crater Peak. The 1992 eruption, the most recent, ran from June to September. Ash fell on Anchorage in both events.[1]

Crater Peak

Crater Peak is a dome at 7,575 feet that formed about 2 miles south of Spurr. It is the youngest post-caldera dome and the source of about 40 identified Holocene tephra layers.[1]

Monitoring

The Alaska Volcano Observatory monitors Spurr. It raised the alert level from green to yellow in July 2004 because of increasing earthquakes; a crater lake formed in the summit ice in August 2004, and the level returned to green in February 2006. It was raised to yellow again on 23 October 2024 because of increased seismic activity. Because the volcano lies near trans-Pacific air routes, an eruption could disrupt air travel.[1]

FAQs

How tall is Mount Spurr? 11,070 feet.

When did it erupt? 1953 and 1992.

How far from Anchorage? 81 miles.

Who monitors it? The Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Mount Spurr

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue