Posted on 01/25/2009 9:45:35 AM PST by dan_s
Over the past 48 hours, seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano has increased markedly. This has taken the form of periodic tremor bursts that are most visible on the two seismic stations closest to the summit. Beginning at 00:58 AKT (9:58 UTC) this morning, tremor became sustained and its amplitude increased markedly. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Alert Level to WATCH this morning at 2:09 AKT (11:09 UTC).
This activity could be precursory to an eruption, perhaps within hours to days. A further increase in seismicity is expected to accompany an eruption. There is no indication that the volcano is currently erupting.
At this time, clouds obscure the volcano in satellite views, but NEXRAD weather radar data show no signs eruptive activity. AVO has received no recent observer reports. Staff are currently monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day.
AVO raised the Aviation Color Code to YELLOW and the Volcano Alert Level to ADVISORY on November 5, 2008, in response to increased emissions of SO2, H2S, and CO2; melting of snow and ice near the volcano’s summit; and a subtle increase in seismicity. These observations reflected a change in the volcano’s hydrothermal system, possibly associated with an influx of new magma beneath the volcano. It is also possible that the change was related to the development of a new pathway of heated fluids rising from magma intruded during the 1989-90 eruption.
Probably why they raised the avaition color code to orange?
Could the decent size earthquake that Alaska experienced within the past few days and this volcanic activity be related to each other?
Thanks, that helps a lot.
Too much ink to see the data!
More than likely I would say, usually its the other way around.
But earthquakes and volcanoes are part of Alaska, we are used to them, we have had some serious damages in the past and we changed our building codes, I personally have been part of a statewide effort of fortifying our bridges and railroads to meet such events.
In the Anchorage Daily News their is a photo of two red concrete mixers on a flat car on a railroad bridge over the Knic River, I was the driver in one of them.
I meant to say in the archives several years ago.
“The 1989-90 eruption of Redoubt seriously affected the populace, commerce, and oil production throughout the Cook Inlet region and air traffic as far away as Texas. Total estimated economic costs are $160 million (Tuck and others, 1992), making the eruption the of Redoubt the second most costly in U.S. history.”
Roughly the same amount as was spent on the Obamanation coronation...
/mark
Right you are. That was one of the strangest events I’ve witnessed.
Volcanic ash activity is directly correlated with global temperatures.
My folks look straight out their front window at Iliamna and Redoubt. If you go out the edge of the bluff on a clear day you can see all the way down to Augustine and Douglas. They got a pretty good jolt yesterday.
No, Redoubt is over 200 miles away from Valdez. The Cook Inlet is separated from the Prince William Sound by the Kenai Peninsula; they are very separate bodies of water.
Rumor going around Soldotna is they now have evacuated the western part of the inlet and capped the wells. Air filters are flying off the shelves.
I think its going to go pretty big in the next 24-48 hours.
Here is a webcam link.
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/webcam/webcam.php?cam=Redoubt%20-%20CI
Waiting ;)
The AVO redoubt page has forecasts for upcoming days of ash movement dependent on the altitude of the ash:
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php
Redoubt is a bit further from Anchorage and thus less likely to put as much ash there as Spurr.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Spurr erupted again in the next couple of years - they had Spurr at Yellow for a long time a couple years ago, but no eruption. Still a decent amount of seismicity.
Air filters for just about anything are flying off the shelves in Wasilla, Walmart is sold out of face filters.I was in Anchorage when Spurr erupted in 1992 and watched people panicking when they could not get air filters for their cars, turned out the ash that fell was much larger than predicted, actually like small grape nuts sized.
So far it looks like its heading straight for where I live up near Houston, I think I am 140 miles NE of Redoubt.
Looks like there could be some harmonic tremor now, though sometimes wind can look like that depending on where the seismomter is.
The last eruption in 1989 was preceeded by only 24 hours of high seismic activity. Really could go at any time.
Be safe Eye of Unk...prayers are w/you folks up in Alaska (and Gov. Palin).
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