One of the largest eruptions of the 20th century occurred in 1912, from June 6 to June 8, to form Novarupta. Rated a 6 on the volcanic explosivity index,2 the 60 hour long eruption expelled 13 to 15 cubic kilometers (3.1 to 3.6 cu mi) of magma, 30 times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.345 The erupted magma resulted in more than 17 cubic kilometers (4.1 cu mi) of air fall and approximately 11 cubic kilometers (2.6 cu mi) of ash-flow tuff6 Only the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines was of a similar magnitude during the 20th century, ejecting 11 cubic kilometers (2.6 cu mi) of tephra.7 At least two larger eruptions occurred in the 19th century: the 1815 eruption of Tambora (150 km3 (36.0 cu mi) of tephra8) and the 1883 eruption of Indonesia's Krakatoa (20 km3 (4.8 cu mi) of tephra).9
Eruption of such a large quantity of magma from underneath the Mount Katmai area resulted in the formation of a 2-kilometer (1.2 mi) wide funnel shaped vent and the collapse of the summit of Mount Katma creating a 600-meter (2,000 ft) deep,3 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) caldera.10
The eruption ended with the extrusion of a lava dome that plugged the vent. The 295 feet (90 m) high and 1,180 feet (360 m) wide dome is what is now referred to as Novarupta.11
The eruption forming of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is one of the few in recorded history to have produced welded tuff, producing numerous fumaroles that persisted for 15 years.14
Established as a National Park & Preserve in 1980, Katmai is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about 290 miles southwest of Anchorage. The area was originally designated a National Monument in 1918 to protect the area around the major 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta and the 40-square-mile (104 km2), 100-to-700-foot (30 to 210 m) deep, pyroclastic flow of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.15
^ Fierstein, Judy; Wes Hildreth (2004-12-11). "The plinian eruptions of 1912 at Novarupta, Katmai National Park, Alaska". Bulletin of Volcanology (Springer) 54 (8): 646. doi:10.1007/BF00430778.