Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Churchill.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Churchill.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Churchill.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

White River | Klutlan Glacier | Bona-Churchill

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

315030

847 CE

5,005 m / 16,421 ft

61.38°N
141.75°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Caldera

Rock Types

Major
Dacite

Tectonic Setting

Intraplate
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

0
0
0
95

Geological Summary

The Bona-Churchill massif in the St. Elias Mountains has a 2.7 x 4.2 km summit caldera which was the source of the White River Ash, produced by two of the largest explosive eruptions in North America during the past 2,000 years (McGimsey et al., 1992). The summit of Mount Bona lies 4 km across a high saddle from the younger Churchill. The source vent of the widespread bi-lobate White River Ash deposit, which covers more than 340,000 km² of eastern Alaska and NW Canada, was initially thought to be a pumice mound that is mostly buried beneath the Klutlan Glacier NE of Churchill volcano. Later work revealed thick young pumice deposits along the caldera rim that are mineralogically and chemically similar to the White River Ash deposits.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Clague J J, Evans S G, Rampton V N, Woodsworth G J, 1995. Improved age estimates for the White River and Bridge River tephras, western Canada. Can J Earth Sci, 32: 1172-1179.

Coulter S E, Pilcher J R, Plunkett G, Baillie M, Hall V A, Steffensen J P, Vinther B M, Clausen H B, Johnsen S J, 2012. Holocene tephras highlight complexity of volcanic signals in Greenland ice cores. J. Geophys. Res., 117, D21303. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017698

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Jensen B J L, Pyne-O’Donnell S, Plunkett G, Froese D G, Hughes P D M, Sigl M, McConnell J R, Amesbury M J, Blackwell P G, van den Bogaard C, Buck C E, Charman D J, Clague J J, Hall V A, Koch J, Mackay H, Mallon1 G, McColl1 L, Pilcher J R, 2014. Transatlantic distribution of the Alaskan White River Ash. Geology 42:10, 875-878. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35945.1

Lerbekmo J F, Campbell F A, 1969. Distribution, Composition, and Source of the White River Ash, Yukon Territory.. Can J Earth Sci, 6: 109-116.

Lerbekmo J F, Westgate J A, Smith D G W, Denton G H, 1975. New data on the character and history of the White River volcanic eruption, Alaska. In: Suggate R P and Cresswell M M (eds) Quaternary Studies, Wellington: Roy Soc New Zeal, p 203-209.

McGimsey R G, Richter D H, DuBois G D, Miller T P, 1992. A postulated new source for the White River Ash, Alaska. U S Geol Surv Bull, 1999: 212-218.

Richter D H, Preece S J, McGimsey R G, Westgate J A, 1995. Mount Churchill, Alaska: source of the late Holocene White River Ash. Can J Earth Sci, 32: 741-748.

Richter D H, Rosenkrans D S, Steigerwald M J, 1995. Guide to the volcanoes of the western Wrangell Mountains, Alaska--Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. U S Geol Surv Bull, 2072: 1-31.

Robinson S D, 2001. Extending the Late Holocene White River Ash distribution, northwestern Canada. Arctic, 54: 157-161.

Wood C A, Kienle J (eds), 1990. Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Univ Press, 354 p.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 2 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0847 ± 1 years Confirmed Eruption VEI: 6

Episode 1 | Eruption

White River Ash (eastern lobe)

0847 ± 1 years - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

A second major explosive eruption from the summit caldera of Churchill deposited the eastern lobe of the White River Ash, extending more than 1,000 km E (McGimsey et al., 1992; Richter et al., 1995). Radiocarbon-dated tree rings from a spruce killed by the eruption placed the date at 833-850 CE, and was correlated with the AD860B ash found in Greenland and northern Europe (Jensen et al., 2014); this ash was dated by Coulter et al. (2012) at 846-848 CE. Previously, four ¹⁴C calibrated ages reported by Clague et al. (1995) placed this eruption at 1,147 BP (803 CE), and Lerbekmo et al. (1975) had dated it at about 1,250 BP (avg. of eleven ¹⁴C dates ranging from 1,175 ±90 to 1,390 ± 70 BP).

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at White River Ash (eastern lobe)

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Ash
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
0800 ± 100 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

0063 ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption VEI: 6

Episode 1 | Eruption

White River Ash (northern lobe)

0063 ± 200 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

The northern lobe of the widespread White River ash was erupted about 1,887 years BP (avg. of eleven ¹⁴C dates ranging from 2,005 ± 90 to 1,750 ± 110 BP) (Lerbekmo et al., 1975). The tephra deposit extends more than 500 km N from a source in the summit caldera of Mt. Churchill (McGimsey et al., 1992; Richter et al., 1995).

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at White River Ash (northern lobe)

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Ash
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
0060 ± 200 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Churchill.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Churchill.

Photo Gallery

A U.S. Geological Survey climbing party ascends the Klutlan Glacier headed towards Mount Churchill. Their field studies led to the discovery that this volcano was the site of two of the most voluminous eruptions in North America in the past 2,000 years. The White River Ash originated from the summit caldera of Churchill next to Mount Bona and comprises two voluminous ash units that extend across most of Canada and traces reached Europe.

Photo by Game McGimsey (U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Churchill in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Alaska Volcano Observatory (Link to Churchill)

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO was formed in 1988, and uses federal, state, and university resources to monitor and study Alaska's hazardous volcanoes, to predict and record eruptive activity, and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property.

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Churchill. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Churchill. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Churchill

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).