Printer friendly versionAlaska Volcano ObservatoryWeekly UpdateFriday, January 9, 2009 1:35 PM AKST (Friday, January 9, 2009 22:35 UTC)SHISHALDIN VOLCANO (CAVW #1101-36-)
54°45'19" N 163°58'16" W, Summit Elevation 9373 ft (2857 m)
Current Aviation Color Code:
YELLOWCurrent Volcano Alert Level:
ADVISORYAVO raised the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level to
YELLOW/ADVISORY this week based on a persistent thermal anomaly over the volcano's summit and an increase in seismicity over the last several months. Subsequently, pilots and residents of Cold Bay report a vigorous vapor plume issuing from the volcano. There have been no observations of ash and seismicity is largely unchanged this week.
Although detection of a thermal anomaly is rare at this volcano, it is not certain that this unrest will lead to an eruption. A thermal anomaly was observed in the months leading up to the last significant eruption at
Shishaldin in 1999; this fact, combined with the likelihood that an eruption at Shishaldin could occur with little or no seismic precursors, drove AVO's decision to raise the Color Code and Alert Level.
Shishaldin volcano, located near the center of Unimak Island in the eastern Aleutian Islands, is a spectacular symmetric cone with a base diameter of approximately 10 miles (16 km). A small summit crater typically emits a noticeable steam plume with occasional small amounts of ash. Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc, erupting atleast 28 times since 1775. Most of Shishaldin's eruptions have consisted of small ash and steam plumes, although the most recent eruption in April-May 1999 produced an ash column that reached a height of 45,000 ft above sea level.
CLEVELAND VOLCANO (CAVW #1101-24-)
52°49'20" N 169°56'42" W, Summit Elevation 5676 ft (1730 m)
Current Aviation Color Code:
YELLOWCurrent Volcano Alert Level:
ADVISORYThere were no indications of continuing activity at
Cleveland Volcano this week. A weak thermal anomaly noted on January 4 was likely a remnant signal from the brief eruption of ash on January 2. This event sent ash as high as 6 km (20,000 ft) where it drifted east-southeast about 240 km (150 mi).
Cleveland volcano forms the western half of Chuginadak Island, a remote and uninhabited island in the east central Aleutians. It is located about about 75 km (45 mi.) west of the community of Nikolski, and 1500 km (940 mi.) southwest of Anchorage. The volcano's most recent significant eruption began in February, 2001 and had 3 explosive events that produced ash clouds as high as 12 km (39,000 ft) above sea level. This eruption also produced a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea.
REDOUBT VOLCANO (CAVW #1103-03-)
60°29'7" N 152°44'38" W, Summit Elevation 10197 ft (3108 m)
Current Aviation Color Code:
YELLOWCurrent Volcano Alert Level:
ADVISORYSeismic activity at
Redoubt remains at low levels. Clear satellite views showed no evidence of activity all week. AVO received no reports of steaming or other activity.
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 10,198 feet above sea level. Recent eruptions occurred in 1902, 1966-68, and 1989-90. The 1989-90 eruption produced mudflows, or lahars, that traveled down the Drift River and partially flooded the Drift River Oil Terminal facility. The ash plume produced by the 1989-90 eruption affected international air traffic and resulted in minor or trace amounts of ash in the city of Anchorage and other nearby communities.
OTHER ALASKA VOLCANOESSeismic activity is monitored in real time at 31 volcanoes in Alaska. Satellite images of all Alaskan volcanoes are analyzed daily for evidence of ash plumes and elevated surface temperatures. Some volcanoes may currently display anomalous behavior but are not considered to be at a dangerous level of unrest.
Akutan,
Aniakchak,
Augustine,
Dutton,
Fisher,
Fourpeaked,
Gareloi,
Great Sitkin,
Griggs,
Iliamna,
Isanotski,
Kanaga,
Katmai,
Korovin,
Mageik,
Makushin,
Martin,
Novarupta,
Okmok,
Pavlof,
Snowy,
Spurr,
Tanaga,
Trident, Ugashik-
Ugashik-Peulik,
Ukinrek Maars,
Veniaminof,
Westdahl, and
Wrangell volcanoes are in color code
GREEN and volcano alert level Normal. All are at or near normal levels of background seismicity. AVO did not detect ash plumes or significant elevated surface temperatures in the vicinity of any volcano.
Please see
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/color_codes.php for complete definitions of Aviation color codes and Volcano alert levels.
VOLCANO INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.avo.alaska.edu
/>RECORDING ON THE STATUS OF ALASKA'S VOLCANOES (907) 786-7478
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Peter Cervelli, Acting Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
pcervelli@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
Jon Dehn, Acting Coordinating Scientist, UAFGI
jdehn@gi.alaska.edu (907) 474-6499
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.
