The Shishaldin Volcano on Unimak Island; Photo credit: USGS

Mount Shishaldin, which is one of the most beautiful and perfectly cone-shaped volcanos on the Aleutian Chain, has been restless since July 2019, with several short burst eruptions.  At the end of December, temperature elevations were measured at its summit, and seismic activity had increased substantially.

This past Friday morning, Shishaldin erupted, sending ash five miles into the air.  Volcanic lightning, and the glow of lava near the summit, could be seen from Cold Bay.

Shishaldin from high; Photo credit: AVO

At an elevation of 9373′, Mount Shishaldin is the highest peak in the Aleutians.  Shishaldin is relatively young, with its cone less than 10,000 years old, although remnants of an ancestral volcano can be found on Unimak.

Mount Shishaldin, postcard image, circa 1910; Photo credit: J.E. Thwaites

The first known ascent of Shishaldin happened in 1932, when G. Peterson and two others, made the climb to the summit.  It is widely understood, that native Aleuts and visiting Russians certainly made the climb previously, but their ascents were not documented.

Local climbers are known to still make the climb to Shishaldin’s summit, then ski back  down its flank.