If you’ve spent much time in Sitka, you’ve probably seen Mount Edgecumbe. It’s one of Alaska’s most-viewed volcanoes, rising 3,000 feet from the ocean, only 10 miles from the former Russian capital.
Scientists and Tlingit tradition-bearers know it last erupted about 4,500 years ago. But other volcanoes, vents and lava flows in the area have seen more recent action. CoastAlaska’s Ed Schoenfeld catches up with a dedicated group of geologists in Southeast searching for lava in the rainforest.
- Southeast’s major volcanoes and lava flows, from the Alaska Volcano Observatory
- Information about the area just across the border with Canada, which tie into Southeast’s most recent lava flows
- How plate tectonics work, from NASA
- An animated guide to how volcanoes work, from the BBC
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