A little over 110 years ago, the remote wilderness of the Alaska Peninsula experienced what was likely the largest, more explosive eruption of the 20th century. This eruption covered the region with tens of meters of volcanic ash and debris, creating the aptly-named Valley of the 10,000 Smokes. Multiple volcanoes not eEven today, when the winds pick up during the late summer and fall, ash from this blast can be whipped up and lofted high into the air, sometimes even making people think an eruption has started.
Funny thing about the 1912 blast is that it came from a volcano that wasn't even on the map before the eruption. Not only that, but volcanoes that weren't even source of all this volcanic material collapsed during the eruption. Katmai saw a ~1.6 by 2.3 mile caldera form during June 1912 even though the eruption itself was coming from what would be named Novarupta, just to the west. If you want to read all about those fateful days in Alaska, I wrote about it during the 100th anniversary.
