Be Prepared Mt Redoubt Volcano elevated to Yellow Alert
ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY CURRENT STATUS REPORT
Monday, December 28, 2009 12:37 PM (Monday, December 28, 2009 21:37 UTC)
REDOUBT VOLCANO (CAVW #1103-03-)
60°29'7" N 152°44'38" W, Summit Elevation 10197 ft (3108 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
Earlier this morning, AVO elevated the Aviation Color Code to YELLOW and the Volcano Alert Level to ADVISORY at Redoubt Volcano. Beginning about 4:00 pm AKDT on December 27 (0100 December 28 UTC), small repetitive earthquakes began to occur in the vicinity of the volcano's summit. Activity is continuing this morning; these earthquakes are very small and have decreased in frequency overnight. These earthquakes represent a departure from seismicity at the volcano over the past five months. (See http://www.avo.alaska.edu/webicorders/Redoubt/RSO_EHZ_AV.php). Clouds currently obscure web camera and satellite views of the volcano.
These earthquakes could be precursory to renewed eruptive activity at the volcano and increased instability of the lava dome. Whether this will result in explosive activity or collapse of the lava dome is unknown at this time. However, there is a heightened possibility of volcanic activity that would produce a volcanic ash cloud and associated ash fall, pyroclastic avalanches, and lahars and flooding down the Drift River.
AVO is monitoring the situation closely and will attempt to overfly the volcano when weather allows.
Heavily ice-mantled Redoubt volcano is located on the western side of Cook Inlet, 170 km (106 mi) southwest of Anchorage and 82 km (51 mi) west of Kenai, within Lake Clark National Park. Redoubt is a stratovolcano which rises to 10,197 feet above sea level. Recent eruptions occurred in 1902, 1966-68, 1989-90, and 2009. The 1989-90 and 2009 eruptions produced mudflows, or lahars, that traveled down the Drift River and partially flooded the Drift River Oil Terminal facility. The ash plumes produced by the 1989-90 and 2009 eruptions significantly disrupted air traffic and resulted in minor or trace amounts of ash in the city of Anchorage and other communities in south-central and interior Alaska.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
tlmurray@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
Steve McNutt, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
steve@giseis.alaska.edu (907) 474-7131
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
Go to http://www.avo.alaska.edu/ for more info.... Be Prepared...REALLY!
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This is very interesting and I have never heard of such a thing, I hope everything is OK!
VB ;o)
Hello VB... hopefully it wont blow ash all over us and ruin our day, week or more... so far it is just rumbling and having earhtquakes.. you can see it when you come up and take pictures of the northern lights! Thanks
Get your masks ready and a back up air filter for your vehicle! Thanks for the news, Debra; please let us know what happens.
Interesting - I haven't heard anything on the news about this down here in Seattle. Coming from an aviation background, I remember how it disrupted air traffic last time. What's above the advisory/yellow stage? Is there anything?
Yes Maria, we have that and we get to cover our xerox machine and computers and phones everynight before we leave... i even carry extra face mass.
Debi I have found the folks who watch this stuff can do nothing more than watch it and alert us... but thye are rarely able to actually predict when of if the mountain blows... in fact often they are wrong in their predictions..every time they lowered the laert last time it blew... so I am being optimistic about the rising of alert and Yellow is just be cautious not danger... it goes to orange and then red usally someone is being ashed by then!
Wow, definitely interesting! I find it amazing, I find out more news and information through AR and also FB then I do from the local and national news. Crazy... keep us posted!
Cheron Lange
Debra - It certainly makes for a beautiful picture in its present state! Yet, I suspect it is causing some anxiety for those living in its path! My sister was living in Sutton, Alaska, when they had the great earthquake in the 1960s. I know Alaskans are tough and resilient people!
Hello Cheron... it is a fountain of information on this network... i love learning about each others area and market from AR
Hello Mryl...That earthquake was something... the affects of which are still here and not forgotten... hope I dont see that... You have to be tough in Alaska and respect Mother Nature and always be prepared! thank you so much for stopping in!