The incredible sight prompted him to name the once vibrant valley the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
Photo credit: Robert F. Griggs / National Geographic Society.
Novarupta itself is a mere bump on the Valleys floor and rises only 65 meters above its surface.
The collapse produced a crater about two miles in diameter and over 800 feet deep.
Early investigators assumed that Katmai was responsible for the eruption.
It was not until the 1950s that true source of the eruption was discovered.
The region is still recovering and plants have began to grow on the valley floor.
