Mount Cleveland: The Sleepless Giant of the Aleutians

Mount Cleveland, also known as Chuginadak, is one of the most consistently active and dangerous volcanoes in North America. Located in the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska, this nearly symmetrical stratovolcano rises 1,730 meters (5,676 feet) directly from the churning waters of the Bering Sea.

It forms the western half of Chuginadak Island, a name derived from the Aleut word for the volcano. Unlike many other volcanoes that have long periods of dormancy, Cleveland is a restless giant, frequently spewing ash and lava in a display of raw geological power that poses a constant threat to trans-Pacific aviation.

Geological Setting: The Islands of the Four Mountains

Mount Cleveland is the highest peak in the Islands of the Four Mountains group.

• Isolation: The volcano is located about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) southwest of Anchorage. It is incredibly remote; the island is uninhabited, and the nearest settlement is the small village of Nikolski on Umnak Island, about 75 kilometers away.

The Aleutian Fire Line

Mount Cleveland is the standout peak in a very crowded neighborhood.

• The Aleutian Arc: It sits on the Aleutian Arc, a 2,500-kilometer chain of volcanoes formed where the Pacific Plate dives under the North American Plate.
• Distinct Chemistry: The magma here is tholeiitic basalt and andesite, typical of immature island arcs. It is hot, fluid, but often interacts with seawater, leading to explosive hydro-magmatic activity.
• Carlisle Volcano: Just across a narrow strait lies the Carlisle volcano. The two are so close they form a spectacular “double peak” gateway when viewed from the sea.

Investigating the Unreachable: Remote Sensing

How do you monitor a volcano you can’t visit? Cleveland has driven innovation in remote sensing.

• Satellite Thermal Alerts: Scientists use MODIS and VIIRS satellite data to detect “hot spots” on the summit. A sudden rise in pixel temperature indicates lava has reached the surface.
• Infrasound: Since seismic networks are hard to maintain, researchers listen for “infrasound”—low-frequency sound waves generated by explosions. Infrasound arrays as far away as Fairbanks can detect the “thump” of a Cleveland explosion, travelling thousands of miles through the atmosphere.
• Lightning: Explosive ash plumes generate volcanic lightning. Global lightning detection networks often provide the first warning that Cleveland has erupted.

Ecology at the Edge

Life on Chuginadak Island is tenacious.

• Seabird Colonies: The rocky cliffs of the island are nesting grounds for thousands of seabirds, including puffins, auklets, and murres. They thrive in the nutrient-rich waters of the Bering Sea upheaval.
• The Fox Problem: Historically, fox trappers introduced Arctic foxes to these islands for fur. The foxes decimated native bird populations. Efforts have been made to eradicate non-native foxes to restore the ecological balance.

The Maritime Graveyard

The turbulent waters around Mount Cleveland are a graveyard for ships.

• The Great Circle Route: Thousands of cargo ships pass near the island annually traveling between Asia and the USA.
• The Threat: Mechanical failure here means drifting onto the volcanic rocks in freezing, storm-tossed seas. In 2011, the cargo ship Golden Seas drifted helplessly near the volcano during a storm, narrowly avoiding disaster. The volcano acts as a dark lighthouse for these perilous waters.

A History of Aviation Hazards

Because of its location directly under the busy “Great Circle” air routes connecting North America and Asia, Mount Cleveland is a major concern for aviation safety.

• Frequent Explosions: Cleveland is known for short-lived, explosive eruptions that can send ash plumes to altitudes of 15,000 to 30,000 feet within minutes.
• The 2001 Eruption: One of the most significant recent events occurred in February 2001. The volcano produced explosive ash plumes that reached 39,000 feet, disrupting air traffic.
• Monitoring Challenges: For decades, Cleveland was a “blind spot.” It had no ground-based seismic instruments, forcing scientists to rely solely on satellite imagery and pilot reports. This lack of real-time data made predicting eruptions nearly impossible. In recent years, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has worked tirelessly to improve monitoring, but the harsh weather and remote location make maintaining instruments a logistical nightmare.

The Mystery of the Missing Climbers

Mount Cleveland has a tragic place in American mountaineering history.

• The 1944 Tragedy: During World War II, a small army detachment was stationed on the island. In 1944, a group of soldiers attempted to climb the volcano. They never returned. It is believed they were caught in a sudden eruption or avalanche near the summit, but their bodies were never found. This event underscores the unpredictable and deadly nature of the mountain.

Volcanic Activity: A Constant State of Unrest

Cleveland’s activity is characterized by a mix of effusive and explosive behavior.

• Lava Domes: The volcano frequently builds small, pancake-shaped lava domes in its summit crater.
• Explosions: As pressure builds beneath these domes, they are often destroyed in sudden explosions, sending ash into the sky and debris avalanches down the flanks.
• Lava Flows: In some eruptions, lava overflows the crater rim and travels down the steep sides of the volcano, reaching the sea and creating massive steam plumes as the molten rock hits the cold water.

The Hidden Base: Submarine Geology

What we see of Mount Cleveland is just the tip of the iceberg.

• The Platform: The volcano sits on a massive underwater platform that is 30 kilometers wide.
• Submarine Flanks: Detailed bathymetric mapping shows that the underwater flanks are scarred by massive debris avalanches, evidence that the island has collapsed and rebuilt itself multiple times over the millennia. These underwater landslides are capable of generating local tsunamis.

Comparative Volcanology: Cleveland vs. Pavlof

Cleveland is often compared to its Aleutian cousin, Mount Pavlof.

• Similarities: Both are stratovolcanoes with frequent, Strombolian eruptions. Both are major aviation hazards.
• Differences: Pavlof erupts directly from a vent, while Cleveland often builds a lava dome first. This “corking” mechanism makes Cleveland’s explosions potentially more violent and unpredictable than Pavlof’s “open throat” fire-fountaining.

Climate Interactions: The Aleutian Low

Cleveland battles one of the fiercest weather systems on Earth: the Aleutian Low.

• The Storm Factory: This low-pressure system generates the massive storms that batter the west coast of North America.
• Ash and Rain: The constant rain and snow scrub volcanic ash out of the atmosphere quickly, preventing it from circling the globe. However, this creates “acid snow” on the island itself.
• Sensor Damage: The combination of hurricane-force winds (100+ mph) and rime ice is why monitoring instruments fail so often. It’s not just the volcano; it’s the weather.

The 2016-2017 Eruptive Sequence

A recent sequence perfectly illustrates Cleveland’s temper.

• The Setup: Throughout 2016, a small lava dome grew in the crater.
• The Blast: In May 2017, a massive explosion destroyed the dome. The shockwave was detected by infrasound sensors 1,500 km away.
• The Cycle: Within weeks, a new dome began to grow. This “Jack-in-the-box” behavior—build a dome, blow it up, repeat—is the textbook signature of Mount Cleveland.

Visiting the Edge of the World

Visiting Mount Cleveland is virtually impossible for the average traveler.

• No Access: There are no airstrips, harbors, or tourist facilities on Chuginadak Island.
• Expeditions: Only specialized scientific expeditions or extreme adventurers with ocean-going vessels attempt to reach the island. The seas around the Aleutians are notoriously rough, with frequent storms and fog that can obscure the volcano for weeks at a time.
• Viewing: The only way for most people to see Mount Cleveland is from the window of a trans-Pacific flight on a rare clear day, or via satellite images released by NASA and the AVO.

Conclusion

Mount Cleveland serves as a stark reminder that the Earth is a dynamic and sometimes violent planet. Ideally situated to disrupt global travel yet hidden in one of the most inaccessible corners of the globe, it is a volcano that demands attention from afar. It is a lonely sentinel in the Bering Sea, burning with a fire that refuses to go out.

Radar Vision: InSAR

How do we measure the volcano swelling?

• InSAR: Scientists use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). By comparing radar images taken from space over time, they can detect ground deformation as small as a few centimeters.
• Inflation: Before an eruption, Mount Cleveland often “inflates” like a balloon as magma fills the chamber. InSAR allows scientists to see this breathing motion from orbit, providing a crucial early warning.

Magma Storage Depth

Petrological analysis of the lava crystals tells a story of the deep earth.

• The Crystals: Crystals of pyroxene and plagioclase in the lava act as “flight recorders.”
• The Data: Their chemical zoning reveals that the magma is stored in a reservoir about 4 to 6 kilometers beneath the sea floor before it erupts. It rises rapidly from this depth, giving little seismic warning.

Aleut Oral History

Though uninhabited now, the islands were once home to the Unangan (Aleut) people.

• The Fire Islands: Oral traditions speak of the “Fire Islands” and contain warnings about the dangers of living too close to the smoking peaks.
• Navigation: Skilled kayakers (iqyax paddles) used the volcano’s plume as a weather beacon. A vertical plume meant calm winds; a bent plume warned of an approaching storm.

Quick Facts

• Location: Islands of the Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
• Coordinates: 52.825° N, 169.944° W
• Summit Elevation: 1,730 m (5,676 ft)
• Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
• Nearest Habitation: Nikolski (75 km east)
• Status: Active (Frequent alerts).