Alamagan
Encyclopedia
The Northern Marianas
island of Alamagan is located 146 nautical miles (270 km) north from Saipan
and is 11.12 km² (4.295 sq mi) in area. The island's volcano
(Bandeera Peak) has a large caldera
at the summit. The volcano last erupted around 870 AD, with an error bar of 100 years. It involved pyroclastic flow
s, and had a VEI
of 4. Any claims of historical eruptions are inaccurate, though uncertain eruptions have occurred as late as 1887.
The west side of the island is cut by deep gorges covered with high savanna grass. The southeast side is a steep slope of bare lava. There are deep valleys with caves. Coconut palms grow on the gradual slopes. Warm fresh water springs are located on the northern part of the west coast.
Alamagan is the home of the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler
, Acrocephalus luscinia which presently can be found only here, Saipan
and possibly Aguijan
.
Historically the island has been sporadically populated; as of late 2005 there were seven inhabitants on Alamagan, all or most living in Alamagan Village
. The 2000 census
reported an official population of six persons. The island is part of the Northern Islands Municipality
.
In September 2009, Typhoon Choi-wan
passed directly over Alamagan, destroying many of the island's trees and forcing the evacuation of the island's residents to Saipan
.
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
island of Alamagan is located 146 nautical miles (270 km) north from Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and is 11.12 km² (4.295 sq mi) in area. The island's volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
(Bandeera Peak) has a large caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
at the summit. The volcano last erupted around 870 AD, with an error bar of 100 years. It involved pyroclastic flow
Pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving current of superheated gas and rock , which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h . The flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity...
s, and had a VEI
Volcanic Explosivity Index
The Volcanic Explosivity Index was devised by Chris Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Stephen Self at the University of Hawaii in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions....
of 4. Any claims of historical eruptions are inaccurate, though uncertain eruptions have occurred as late as 1887.
The west side of the island is cut by deep gorges covered with high savanna grass. The southeast side is a steep slope of bare lava. There are deep valleys with caves. Coconut palms grow on the gradual slopes. Warm fresh water springs are located on the northern part of the west coast.
Alamagan is the home of the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler
Nightingale Reed-warbler
The Nightingale Reed-warbler is a critically endangered songbird of the Mariana Islands. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu ....
, Acrocephalus luscinia which presently can be found only here, Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
and possibly Aguijan
Aguijan
Aguijan is a small bean-shaped coralline island in the Northern Mariana Islands chain situated southwest of Tinian, from which it is separated by the Tinian Channel. It is only 7.09 km² in size and is nicknamed Goat Island due to the large number of feral goats present there...
.
Historically the island has been sporadically populated; as of late 2005 there were seven inhabitants on Alamagan, all or most living in Alamagan Village
Alamagan Village
Alamagan is the only village on Alamagan Island in the Northern Marianas, as well as the only permanent settlement in the Northern Islands Municipality. The village, which is on the island's northwestern shore, currently has a total population of only seven people living in roughly four houses,...
. The 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
reported an official population of six persons. The island is part of the Northern Islands Municipality
Northern Islands Municipality
Northern Islands Municipality is one of the four main political divisions of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It consists of a long string of the northernmost islands of the Northern Marianas, including Farallon de Pajaros, the Maug Islands, Asuncion, Agrihan, Pagan, Alamagan,...
.
In September 2009, Typhoon Choi-wan
Typhoon Choi-wan (2009)
Typhoon Choi-wan was a powerful typhoon that became the first Category 5 equivalent typhoon to form during the 2009 Pacific typhoon season...
passed directly over Alamagan, destroying many of the island's trees and forcing the evacuation of the island's residents to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
.