THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



, Photograph by J. W. Shipley 



MOUNT CERBERUS, TYING STRAIGHT ACROSS THE HEAD OP THE VAEEEY, RESEMBLES 

 A CROUCHING ANIMAE GUARDING THE ENTRANCE TO HADES 



This mountain is practically surrounded by fumaroles emitting jets of steam (see also 



page 140) 



which is given off in considerable quan- 

 tity by the vents. 



The beans we dropped on the "kitchen 

 floor" near our fumarole also sprouted 

 and grew rapidly on the warm ground, 

 soon making a bright spot of green ; but 

 they were short lived, for the roots were 

 killed wherever they touched the acid soil. 



The absence of vegetation gave me op- 

 portunity to spend all of my leisure in 

 studying the manifold geological prob- 

 lems of the place, which presents a re- 

 markable and unique exhibition of geo- 

 logical forces. 



A COMPLICATED SYSTEM OP SMOKING 

 VAEEEYS 



The area in which the vents occur is 

 not a simple valley, but includes a com- 

 plicated system of branches, the whole 

 forming a tract of very irregular shape. 

 The main line of activity extends directly 

 -transverse to the axis of the Alaska Pen- 



insula from Katmai Pass northwestward 

 toward the head of Naknek Lake. In 

 this direction vents occur all the way 

 down the valley as far as the bend to the 

 north. There is clear evidence that when 

 the steam jets burst forth this line of ac- 

 tivity also extended straight across the 

 pass and down through the upper valley 

 of Mageik Creek to Observation Moun- 

 tain. 



As one ascends this main valley from 

 the Bering Sea side, he sees lying straight 

 across its head a mountain resembling a 

 crouching animal guarding the entrance. 

 This mountain, which we thought appro- 

 priate to call Cerberus, is practically sur- 

 rounded by fumaroles, for a small branch 

 valley runs around from the pass. In 

 front of Mt. Cerberus the valley is very 

 wide, sending a short branch westward 

 under the glaciers of Mageik and another 

 longer one to the east toward the crater 

 of Katmai (see page 140). 



