Mother Earth Grumbles – PIP #111

By Louise Peloquin

     “Peeks into the Past” #11 and #54 were a sampling of a local newspaper’s coverage of climate concerns. (1)

     As the summer of 2026 is punctuated by horrifying images of extreme weather all over the globe, these two stories seem timely albeit notably different. The climate change referred to below is not attributed to human activity.

L’ETOILE – January 2, 1926

VOLCANOES ARE WARMING UP ALASKA

__________

Observers say the new eruptions will produce a permanent radical change in temperature. — Warmer in Alaska.

__________

     Anchorage, Alaska. The earthquake two days ago, followed by yesterday’s smoke and vapor from North America’s highest summit, 20,300-foot Mount McKinley, indicated renewed volcanic activity. (2) This is part of a series of widely-observed volcanic phenomena which will cause permanent radical temperature changes in Alaska’s southern region.

     Since the November 11th eruption of Mount Shishaldin in the Aleutian Islands, 300 miles south-west of McKinley, the region’s longtime residents stated that they had never felt such mild, springlike temperatures in November and December. They pointed out that ordinarily frozen watercourses have remained open and that green vegetation has replaced snow on grasslands.

     On a large surface 

     The affected surface extends over many hundreds of square miles, along the Cook inlet north-west of Mount McKinley and far to the north of the Susitna river valley. It was 28 degrees in Anchorage on Christmas Day while 0 is the usual temperature.

     Mount McKinley’s smoke seems to indicate that Alaska’s volcanic activity is moving towards the north. Until now, it has occurred south of the Alaskan mountains. McKinley is in the north of this mountain range. The strongest recent eruption occurred in 1912 when Mount Katmai’s eruption widened its summit to three miles in diameter and gave birth to Ten Thousand Smokes Valley. A year ago, Mount Pavlov erupted and last month, so did Mount Shishaldin. Each one of these eruptions was accompanied by earthquakes and climate changes. Since the eruption of Shishaldin, heat within Cook inlet waters has been melting large glaciers.

     Observers believe that north-bound subterranean fires increase temperatures below the seabed which, like the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio current, spread heat. Geologists consider that in the past, similar forces submerged the peninsula between North America and Asia and, although no considerable changes occurred at the time, it is now believed that Alaska will experience warmer winters in the future.

**********

L’ETOILE – January 8, 1926

Vesuvius Is Not Dangerous

__________

The eruption begun these past days is normal and is a “safety valve” for the villages around the mountain.

__________

     Naples, 8. – Vesuvius is rumbling and spewing smoke and lava, albeit in small quantities. The night before last, this phenomenon amused a large crowd of foreigners gazing at fire leaping from the crater and ash covering the mountain. The present eruption is simply an ordinary one for Vesuvius.

     “It is one of the usual occurrences which take place about three times a year,” Professor Maladra, director of the Vesuvius Observatory, said yesterday. “Last year in April, an exceptional flow of incandescent lava spilled from the crater.”

     The present small eruption, instead of being dangerous, is a “safety valve” for the villages around Vesuvius because an eruption close to the cone allows the incandescent matter to pour out. Otherwise, it could blanket the entire mountain. At the moment, no risk for a large, significant eruption, like that of 1906, is expected. The activity of the volcano, begun yesterday, will probably only last for a few days. And then, Vesuvius will return to its normal state. (3)

****

1) PIP #11 – https://richardhowe.com/2023/12/11/an-eye-on-the-sky/

PIP # 54 – https://richardhowe.com/2025/01/21/snow-was-general-all-over-lowell/

2) Prospector William A. Dickey named the mountain in 1896 in honor of William McKinley who was elected president of the United States later that year.

In 1975, the Alaskan government officially adopted Denali, the traditional name used among Alaska Native peoples.

3) Translations by Louise Peloquin.