Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Red alert for volcano in Alaska
Alaska volcano eruptions continue, while the largest was recorded on Sunday night. The explosion occurred from four to thirty minutes. While it is not clear how long Mount Redoubt will continue to erupt, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) isn't taking any chances.
"It's coming down," Rita Jackson said, about 50 miles north of Anchorage.
Alaska volcano eruption ashfall could be found 50 miles away from the core.
Ash deposits could be found on cars within a 50 mile radius. AVO has received no new reports of ash emission since early Monday morning. Ash fall advisories have been posted by the National Weather Service.
Redoubt continues to be at a red alert level while seismic activity is elevated. The AVO reports that ash clouds reached 60,000 feet above sea level, with ash volumes between 25 - 30,000 feet above sea level. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.
The last Alaska volcano eruption caused melting of the Drift glacier which discharged down the Drift River. The eruptions were preceded by approximately 60 hours of discrete earthquakes under the volcano. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code/Alert Level from YELLOW/ADVISORY to ORANGE/WATCH on Saturday.
Mount Redoubt showed signs of volcanic unrest since the beginning of Fall 2008. The unrest had escalated in late January 2009. Last Sunday's volcano eruption produced the first ash which raised the alert level to RED/ADVISORY.
The AVO cautioned that further explosive activity could occur with little or no warning. Volcanic eruptions could occur intermittently for weeks or months. Sunday's eruption produced 40 to 50 earthquakes each hour.
