Buldir Volcano

Buldir Volcano is an inactive stratovolcano on remote Buldir Island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain, regarded as the westernmost volcanic center of the present Pleistocene-to-Recent Aleutian volcanic front. Sharing the island with the younger East Cape volcano, it records a complex geologic history from parasitic cone to basaltic lava flows, pyroclastic debris, and a tuff cone over older calderas. The island’s isolation has also defined its human story, from Vitus Bering’s 1741 voyage to tightly restricted modern access. Buldir has drawn limited scientific visits, figured in the later identification of missing Corporal Carl Houston, and played an important role in saving the Aleutian cackling goose from extinction.

Alaska · United States