Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Augustine's activity is slowing down
While the eruptions continue at Augustine Volcano, scientists say that activity there may be slowing somewhat.
Seismometers continue to record occasional avalanches and rockfalls at the volcano: activity consistent with a slow, relatively continuous eruption of lava from the summit dome.
But with little change in the lava flows down the North face, Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists think the rate of lava production may have decreased somewhat.
That has allowed the lava flows to cool.
“Looking at the color scheme for temperature, the actual snouts, or noses of the lava flows have cooled a little in the last three weeks. And that's actually another piece of information saying activity waning just a little bit. We're not feeding these lava flows at the same kind of rate,” said Dr. Tina Neal, USGS-AVO Geologist.
Augustine's lava flows are still very hot--about six hundred fifty degrees Celsius, or 12 hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
Seismometers continue to record occasional avalanches and rockfalls at the volcano: activity consistent with a slow, relatively continuous eruption of lava from the summit dome.
But with little change in the lava flows down the North face, Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists think the rate of lava production may have decreased somewhat.
That has allowed the lava flows to cool.
“Looking at the color scheme for temperature, the actual snouts, or noses of the lava flows have cooled a little in the last three weeks. And that's actually another piece of information saying activity waning just a little bit. We're not feeding these lava flows at the same kind of rate,” said Dr. Tina Neal, USGS-AVO Geologist.
Augustine's lava flows are still very hot--about six hundred fifty degrees Celsius, or 12 hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
# posted by kevin : 11:08 PM
