Anvil Peak is a

cone A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...

volcano located in

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, United States.

Etymology

The volcano was originally named in 1951, on a map by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

. Its name was taken after a plateau located on the northern side of the volcano's main summit, taking the appearance of an anvil.

Location

Anvil Peak is located on

Semisopochnoi Island Semisopochnoi Island or Unyak Island (obsolete russian: Семисопочной, modern russian: Семисопочный Semisopochny "having seven hills"; ale, Unyax̂) is part of the Rat Islands group in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska ...

, in the

Rat Islands The Rat Islands ( ale, Qax̂um tanangis, russian: Крысьи острова) are a group of American High islands, volcanic islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska, between Buldir Island and the Near Islands group to its west, ...

of the western

. It is one of the seven hills with a summit crater on the island. It is the highest point on the island as well as the highest point on all of the Rat Islands. It is located further north than any of the other hills on the island, taking up a large amount of the northern part of the island. The volcano is located away from Atka, from

Shemya Shemya or Simiya ( ale, Samiyax̂) is a small island in the Semichi Islands group of the Near Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of , and is about southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. It is ...

, and from Attu.

Geology

Anvil Peak has two summits, which are both

volcanic cones Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and ...

. The larger main summit is tall, making it the highest point on the island. This summit is surrounded by ravines, which contain snow at certain times of the year. The peak is part of the old rim of a crater on the volcano, which had been slightly lowered due to erosion. A plateau is located north of this summit, which is what the volcano was named after. The plateau is about wide and is almost completely flat. Six lava flows, about wide each, are located beneath this area. These flows are visible on all except one of the sides of the cliffs holding up the flat area, and had previously been located inside of the crater on the volcano. The other summit is located southwest of the main summit, and is slightly shorter. It is not known exactly when Anvil Peak first formed, but it is believed to have formed after Mount Cerberus. According to the

Global Volcanism Program The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP) documents Earth's volcanoes and their eruptive history over the past 10,000 years. The mission of the GVP is to document, understand, and disseminate information about global volcanic a ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, its formation occurred during the late

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

epoch. It has not erupted in recent times; it is thought that its last activity was probably thousands of years ago. Anvil Peak has experienced deep erosion, more so than the other cones on the islands, which is partially due to its height.

References

{{reflist Volcanoes of Alaska North American 1000 m summits Volcanic cones