Uliaga Island facts for kids
Uliaga Island is a small island in Alaska. It is the most northern island in a group called the Islands of Four Mountains. These islands are part of the larger Aleutian Islands chain.
The name Uliaga likely comes from the Aleut language. It might mean "bearberry," which is a type of plant. The island has a unique triangular shape. It is about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) wide.
Uliaga Island is actually a single stratovolcano. This is a tall, cone-shaped volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava and ash. The volcano reaches a height of 2,913 feet (888 meters). The island covers an area of about 3.44 square miles (8.91 km²).
People have not seen the volcano erupt in modern times. However, scientists believe it was active at some point during the Holocene period. This period started about 11,700 years ago and continues today.
Island History
Uliaga Island has an interesting past. In the 19th century, a writer named Ivan Popov wrote about the island. He mentioned that in 1764, a small group of people lived on the southeastern part of Uliaga.
These people had conflicts with others. A Russian settler named Stephen Golottof lived on Umnak Island. The people from Umnak Island asked Golottof for help. He then caused the settlement on Uliaga to break up. Today, no one lives on Uliaga Island. However, tourists sometimes visit it by boat.
Shipwreck Story
On May 6, 1987, a large South Korean fishing boat had an accident. The ship, named Tae Woong #603, was 210 feet (64 meters) long. It ran aground, meaning it got stuck, on the east side of Uliaga Island.
All 49 crew members were quickly saved by the United States Coast Guard. But the ship was stuck too badly to be pulled free. Officials were very worried about the fuel on the ship. It held 120,000 US gallons (454,249 liters) of diesel fuel.
The fuel was leaking from a broken tank. It was spilling out at a rate of over 1,300 US gallons (4,921 liters) per hour. This was a big concern because Uliaga Island is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge protects many animals.
By May 8, more than 16,000 US gallons (60,566 liters) of oil had leaked. An oil slick spread almost 2 miles (3 km) around the ship. The ship was also tilting to one side.
The shipwreck happened just before horned puffins returned to the island for the summer. The leaking fuel could also harm the 500,000 to 1 million migratory birds that live on nearby Chagulak Island. This island is about 40 miles (64 km) to the west.
To prevent more harm, officials decided to remove the oil. On May 11, they declared the ship a total loss. They decided the best way to get rid of the oil and remaining fuel was to blow up the ship. Transferring the fuel to another ship was too dangerous. The waters around the island were too tricky for other boats.
The ship was blown up on May 13. This successfully removed the oil slick and the rest of the fuel. Investigators later found that the accident happened because of a mistake in navigation.
Images for kids
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Uliaga Island from the west
