Last updated: January 15, 2021
Place
Maar Lakes
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
66.394722N, 164.488333W
Significance:
Largest maar lakes in the world.
Amenities
1 listed
Scenic View/Photo Spot
They may sound like they are from a different planet, but maars are in fact broad, low-relief volcanic craters from violent eruptions created by groundwater coming into contact with hot magma. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is the site of the largest maars in the world. Like most maars, these are filled with water, creating lakes. The largest of all are the Devil Mountain Lakes, an unusual double crater formation in the northern portion of the preserve.
The record-breaking sizes of the maar lakes in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve can be attributed to the permafrost layer on the Seward Peninsula. This creates an especially violent eruption when it comes in contact with magma. These range in size from 13,000 to 26,000 feet in diameter and can be nearly 1,000 feet deep. Although some maars erupted as far back as 200,000 years ago, the Devil Mountain Lakes are among the youngest maars in Alaska, created about 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. The North and South Killeak Maars are the second and third largest, respectively, followed by the Whitefish Maar; together, these are known to be the northernmost maars in the world. If you stand at the water’s edge in the Devil Mountain Maar, you’ll be surrounded by 15-story high bedrock cliff walls that were generated by the blast. Can you imagine the natural power it must have taken to create such an embankment? As you explore these unfathomable features, know that you are one of the fortunate few who have ever ventured to this wild and powerful land.
The record-breaking sizes of the maar lakes in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve can be attributed to the permafrost layer on the Seward Peninsula. This creates an especially violent eruption when it comes in contact with magma. These range in size from 13,000 to 26,000 feet in diameter and can be nearly 1,000 feet deep. Although some maars erupted as far back as 200,000 years ago, the Devil Mountain Lakes are among the youngest maars in Alaska, created about 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. The North and South Killeak Maars are the second and third largest, respectively, followed by the Whitefish Maar; together, these are known to be the northernmost maars in the world. If you stand at the water’s edge in the Devil Mountain Maar, you’ll be surrounded by 15-story high bedrock cliff walls that were generated by the blast. Can you imagine the natural power it must have taken to create such an embankment? As you explore these unfathomable features, know that you are one of the fortunate few who have ever ventured to this wild and powerful land.