Devils Desk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Devils Desk
Highest point
Elevation	6,411 feet (1,954 m)
Geography
Devils Desk Location in Alaska
Location	Alaska

Devils Desk is a tall, cone-shaped volcano in Alaska. It's found in the beautiful Katmai National Park and Preserve. This volcano is special because it's a type called a stratovolcano. Its highest point reaches about 6,411 feet (1,954 meters) above the sea! The very top of the volcano is located in the Kodiak Island area of Alaska.

What is a Stratovolcano?

Devils Desk is known as a stratovolcano. This type of volcano is also called a composite volcano. Stratovolcanoes are usually tall and cone-shaped. They are built up over many eruptions. Each eruption adds new layers of hardened lava, ash, and volcanic rocks. This layering makes them very strong and steep.

How Stratovolcanoes Form

Stratovolcanoes form when magma, which is melted rock from deep inside the Earth, rises to the surface. When the magma erupts, it can be thick and sticky. This thick lava doesn't flow very far. Instead, it piles up around the volcano's vent. Over time, many eruptions build up the cone shape. Ash and rocks also fall and add to these layers.

Where is Devils Desk Located?

This impressive volcano is found within Katmai National Park and Preserve. This park is famous for its volcanoes and wildlife. Devils Desk sits in a remote part of Alaska. It is split between two different areas, called boroughs. These are the Kodiak Island Borough and the Lake and Peninsula Borough.

Devils Desk's Size and Height

The peak of Devils Desk is about 6,411 feet (1,954 meters) high. This makes it a significant mountain in the region. The very top of the volcano is located in the Kodiak Island Borough. From its summit, you can see vast landscapes of Alaska.

How Old is Devils Desk?

Scientists are not completely sure about the exact age of Devils Desk. However, they have studied rocks from the volcano. A sample taken from the southwest side of the volcano was found to be about 245,000 years old. This tells us that Devils Desk has been around for a very long time!

How Glaciers Shaped the Volcano

Over thousands of years, glaciers have played a big role in shaping Devils Desk. Glaciers are like giant rivers of ice. As they move, they can carve away at mountains and volcanoes. Scientists believe that Devils Desk was once a much larger stratovolcano. The moving ice of glaciers has worn away its sides. What we see today is mostly the strong central part, or "neck," of the original volcano. The summit of Devils Desk is almost completely surrounded by a glacier called Hook Glacier. This shows how much ice is still present around the volcano.