Alaska's Great Sitkin Is the Only U.S. Volcano at Orange Alert: Lava Keeps Oozing Into the Summit Crater as Shishaldin Is Lowered to Normal and Green on November 2
Lava is still oozing slowly into the summit crater of Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska's central Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said, keeping the remote volcano as the only one in the United States at the second-highest alert status.
In its most recent daily update, issued at 9:50 a.m. AKST on Saturday, the observatory said: "Lava likely continues to erupt slowly within the summit crater of Great Sitkin Volcano. A few small earthquakes were detected at the volcano over the last day. Clouds obscured other satellite and webcam views of the volcano." The volcano remained at Volcano Alert Level WATCH and Aviation Color Code ORANGE, and AVO reported no major change in activity since Saturday as of early Sunday.
The U.S. Geological Survey's list of elevated volcanoes early Sunday showed Great Sitkin as the only U.S. volcano at ORANGE; Kilauea in Hawaii and Ahyi Seamount in the Northern Mariana Islands were listed at ADVISORY and YELLOW.
AVO's weekly update, released at 12:10 p.m. AKST on Friday, said minor growth of the active lava dome within the summit crater was observed in satellite imagery over the past week, with the south flank of the dome moving slowly southward. Seismic activity remained low, with occasional small volcanic earthquakes and signals from minor rockfalls caused by the growing lava flow. The current eruption began in July 2021; since then, lava flows have filled most of the summit crater and advanced into valleys below, and there have been no explosions at Great Sitkin since an event in May 2021.
Great Sitkin's summit rises to 5,709 feet; the community of Adak is about 26 miles west-southwest of the volcano. AVO monitors the remote volcano using local seismic and infrasound sensors, satellite data and webcams, along with regional infrasound and lightning networks.
Elsewhere in Alaska, AVO lowered Shishaldin Volcano on Unimak Island to NORMAL and GREEN on November 2, 2026, following more than a year of elevated activity, saying unrest is slowly declining and an eruption is not expected at this time. Great Sitkin is now the only Alaska volcano above NORMAL.
Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：大锡特金火山岛。NASA，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Great Sitkin Island, Alaska. By NASA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
