570 CLARENCE N. FENNER 



Under this arrangement E. T. Allen, E. G. Zies, and C. N. Fenner 

 joined the party for the purpose of studying the chemical and 

 geological phenomena. Previous to our departure for the Katmai 

 region the publications of Dr. Martin and of Professor Griggs and 

 the information obtained from conversations with them were of 

 much assistance to us in making plans for the trip, and, while we 

 were on the ground. Professor Griggs's knowledge of the region 

 and its phenomena continued to be of great service. The party 

 spent about two months and a half in the field, which is about as 

 long a working season as is practicable. 



Since the return to Washington, much time has been given to 

 the study of the materials collected, and a full report will be pub- 

 lished later. In advance of such publication, however, it has 

 been thought that a shorter article, descriptive of some of the 

 features of chief geologic importance, may be of interest, and is 

 here presented. Necessarily in this brief treatment, many matters 

 to which attention has been paid in our work will be omitted 

 entirely, and in the case of others the basis for conclusions will be 

 presented in brief form only. Fuller discussion must be reserved 

 for the more comprehensive articles to follow. 



TOPOGRAPHY AND GENERAL GEOLOGY 



The Katmai country is situated near the base of the Alaska 

 peninsula — that long arm which extends southwestwardly from 

 the southern shore of continental Alaska and, with the Aleutian 

 Islands, reaches nearly to Kamchatka (Fig. i). 



Previous to the eruption of 191 2, the Katmai region, though 

 difficult of access, was not entirely unknown. On the Pacific side 

 of the volcanic range was the small native village of Katmai, not 

 more than twenty miles from the volcano. On the Bering Sea 

 slope, at the head of Naknek Lakes, was the similar village of 

 Savonoski. Between them ran a trail which had probably been 

 traveled by the natives for many years, and more recently had 

 been used fairly frequently by white men as a means of crossing 

 the peninsula. In 1898 J. E. Spurr, of the United States Geological 

 Survey, led a party over the Katmai trail, but observed nothing 

 which might be considered to indicate that the preliminary pro- " 



