Mar 16 2009
in which mt. redoubt actually does something, but not much
After all the nothing from Mt. Redoubt in the last few weeks, most people had stopped covering their computers with trash bags and worrying even slightly about ashfall; I’d started thinking Redoubt wasn’t going to do anything at all. I didn’t even know that it did until a few hours ago when my dad told me. Having never been around an actual eruption before (distant lava dribbling into the ocean is cool, but it’s not a classic earth-shaking, flinging-stuff-in-the-air, aieee-run-for-your-lives eruption), I suppose I’d expected that I’d maybe…y’know, notice it happening? Redoubt is across Cook Inlet from Anchorage, but I figured I’d see a plume of ash, maybe feel an earthquake.
Nope. Nothing. My dad mentioned it in Skype chat and my reaction was ^_~ especially when he said it had happened three hours ago at that point. Checking it out from the Anchorage Daily News website, though, it makes more sense, because as eruptions go, it was…kind of weeny. (If I’d been on the ADN staff, though, I don’t think I’d have let the head pass. “Redoubt alert status raised after explosion”? My first thought: “Well…duh.”)
Mount Redoubt released a plume of steam and ash that rose about three miles above sea level Sunday afternoon, and geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory immediately upgraded volcano’s aviation color code status to orange and its alert status to “watch.”
Ashfall from the explosion could be seen on the upper south flank of the volcano, but the National Weather Service had yet to detect any airborne ash that might create an aviation hazard, AVO chief scientist Tom Murray said.
It was the most explosive episode that’s occurred at Redoubt since its current state of unrest began in late January, Murray said, but his staff was not yet describing the event as an actual eruption.
The ash didn’t appear to be generated by new magma, Murray said. It may have been ash residue from previous eruptions that was sent airborne by the explosion of steam.
“It was visible from Kenai, and it put some ash up in the air, but it’s not the thing … that could have a big impact on all of Cook Inlet.” (Story continues here.)
I’m still hoping I can see some steam in the morning. If I’m not going to get a volcano day off school (which I’d get if the school district does, because UAA follows them on snow days), I’d at least like a little something from all this fuss.
(Photo found here. If there’s anything to see tomorrow, I’ll try to get a shot of it.)
