Natural Features & Ecosystems
Looking into the Caldera from The Gates.
NPS Photo by Troy Hamon
Aniakchak Caldera is a raw and rugged volcanic feature located in a landscape that is, because of its remoteness, little affected by human occupancy. Plant and animal communities are in tune with the natural phenomena that control their habitat. Volcanic activity has subsided since the last eruption in 1931, but the geologic processes that follow such activity continue to weather, erode, and redistribute the volcanic materials. Hot spots and warm springs on the caldera floor indicate that eruptive activity may resume at any time.
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Did You Know?
Aniakchak Caldera is six miles (10 kilometers) across and 3,000 feet (1000 meters) deep. Created by a volcanic eruption approximately 3,500 years ago, the caldera resulted from the collapse of a 7,000 foot mountain.