KaBOOM! To the great disappointment of thousands of Alaskans, the volcano waited until just after dark to explode. BOO. Why the lighthearted tone? Redoubt is nowhere near civilization so people aren't threatened (an oil terminal is, however. More on that later.) It's a spectacular wonder of nature. More info and recent pictures of the volcano after the jump.
Here's Mt Redoubt as seen from Unocal Platform Anna, approximately 38 miles SE of Mt. Spurr last month. Mt. Spurr can be see in the map below the fold, directly across the inlet from Anchorage.
Courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory / USGS /
Here's a map showing the geography:
From Homer:
Here's the reason we were all hoping to see it erupt - it's gorgeous! Sure, the ash was a mess, but wow! Look at that!
Mount Redoubt after an eruption on April 21, 1990. Note the ash cloud mirrored on Cook Inlet.
On this Saturday afternoon:
Crater showing rapidly melting glacier and enlarged "ice piston" feature.
Picture Date: March 21, 2009 Image Creator: Read, Cyrus
Here's the webcam from the Alaska Volcano Observatory right after the eruption. :(
Most of these photos and several more can be found at Alaska Volcano Observatory
It's nowhere near the Palin family's Wasilla home or Juneau, the capitol. So, no, nature isn't trying to unleash karma on her, but it's looking like the ash cloud might get there. Volcanic ash can cause tons of problems. Several photos have been posted by locals online at the ADN, including this one which shows the volcano recently from Wasilla:
Photo courtesy of Jim Keen / ADN reader submission Location: Wasilla
Please add photos below if you have them!
The latest from The Anchorage Daily News:
Mount Redoubt erupts 3 times in 2 hours
By GEORGE BRYSON gbryson@adn.com
Published: March 22nd, 2009 11:33 PM
Last Modified: March 23rd, 2009 01:42 AM
Long threatening Mount Redoubt erupted three times tonight sending an ash cloud an estimated 50,000 feet into the air, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.
The first eruption came at 10:38 p.m. Sunday followed by another at 11:02 p.m., and a third at 12:14 a.m. today.
Winds are carrying the ash plume north toward the Susitna Valley, and an ash advisory has been issued for the area until 4 a.m., the National Weather Service said.
Ash is not expected in Anchorage or Wasilla at this time, the Weather Service said.
An ash cloud is headed up the Susitna Valley west of Willow and is expected to arrive in the Talkeetna area around 3 a.m., said Dave Stricklan at the Weather Service's Anchorage office.
"It looks like (Anchorage) might dodge the bullet," Alaska Volcano Observatory geophysicist Peter Cervelli said.
An FAA official at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport early Monday said there were no immediate plans to close the airport.
The AVO describes the eruptions as "three large explosions."
Observatory staffers notified Federal Aviation Administration officials immediately following the eruption.
The AVO staff also warned authorities at the Drift River Oil Terminal -- on the western shore of Cook Inlet downriver from the volcano -- that mud flows and flooding from melting glaciers might be headed their way.
Read morehere.
In case you're wondering, yes, the oil terminal is in harm's way. I can only hope they've prepared for this eruption, since it's been rumbling for months.
Oil terminal sits in harm's way
SECRECY: Citing homeland security, officials give out little information about the plant's status.
When Mount Redoubt erupted 20 years ago, massive floods and raining pumice raised immediate alarms over the Drift River Oil Terminal, with its storage tanks of crude oil sitting at the foot of the volcano.
After several weeks of growing explosions, a big blast hit the lava dome, oil workers abandoned the scene by helicopter and the oil terminal was swept by a flood that turned the Drift River, briefly, into the largest river in North America.
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Now Redoubt is restless again. Strong seismic tremors came and went Friday, as scientists said an eruption appeared still to be building.
So what's the situation at Drift River this time?
Sorry. Nobody will say.
Citing new homeland security rules, a spokeswoman for Chevron refused to say how much oil is normally stored at Drift River these days, how much is currently on hand and whether there are plans to summon extra tankers and drain the tanks.
"That's not public information," said Chevron's Roxanne Sinz. "We can't release any numbers."
More here.
UPDATE: 6:40 AM Eastern Time. From ADN:
A fourth explosion rocked long-threatening Mount Redoubt at 1:39 a.m. after three eruptions earlier tonight sent an ash cloud an estimated 50,000 feet into the air, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.
The first eruption came at 10:38 p.m. Sunday followed by another at 11:02 p.m., and a third at 12:14 a.m. today.
Winds are carrying the ash plume north toward the Susitna Valley, and an ash advisory has been issued for the area until 4 a.m., the National Weather Service said.
Ash is not expected in Anchorage or Wasilla at this time, the Weather Service said.
An ash cloud is headed up the Susitna Valley west of Willow and is expected to arrive in the Talkeetna area around 3 a.m., said Dave Stricklan at the Weather Service's Anchorage office.
Channel 2 (KTUU) is reporting the most recent eruption was the strongest yet, and
"A flash flood warning has been issued for the Drift River near Mount Redoubt. A Chevron oil terminal at Drift River sits just 27 miles from the volcano."
UPDATE #2
KTUU is reporting:
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport remains open as of 4 a.m.
Alaska Airlines rerouted five flights bound for Anchorage -- two out of Seattle and one each out of Honolulu, Maui and Nome. At 4 a.m. it said it had canceled 19 flights.
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All airline passengers should check with their carrier for possible cancellations and delays.
Every Home Depot in Anchorage and the Mat-Su will be open 24 hours a day until further notice. A representative with the company says it is well-stocked with emergency supplies. There were about 20 people in line at the Tudor Road store at 2:20 a.m.
Decisions on school closures, if any, will likely not be made until around 4 a.m. Again, KTUU.com will send out bulletins as warranted.
The history of Redoubt suggests that this is only the beginning.
"Based on Redoubt's past eruptive behavior we might expect this particular eruptive episode to persist for some period of time," Power said. "The most recent eruption of Redoubt went on intermittently for a period of five months."
UPDATE #3 - AKA Eruption 5, the strongest yet.
Redoubt remains active after morning blast
Since an erupting Mount Redoubt sent an ash cloud shooting nearly 12 miles high early this morning with its fifth and strongest explosion, the Cook Inlet volcano has remained highly active, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reports.
Six to seven smaller, subsequent explosions lasting about two minutes apiece have sent additional ash and gas into the atmosphere since the big blast at 4:30 a.m., AVO staff scientist Chris Waythomas said.
Ash has now been detected at 60,000 feet above sea level, the National Weather Service reported.
The media keeps reporting that the ash is falling in Talkeetna, but the live webcam there shows clean snow. Ash is grayer than snow, but I can't see any trace of it on the webcam.
From the ADN:
At Talkeetna's airport, the National Weather Service reported "light ash covering all surfaces." Ashfall was a bit heavier in the Trapper Creek area to the west, where about a tenth of an inch of ash reportedly covered the snow -- enough that walkers left behind footprints and people scrambled to protect aircraft, schools, generators and vehicles.
"Everything's got a brown tint, and there's a haze in the air," said Susie Seibert, who operates Gate Creek Cabins about 10 miles up Petersville Road with her husband.
Trapper Creek resident Roz Daniels scanned the snow this morning with a flashlight and saw tan.
"It was a windshield wiper's worth," said Daniels, who lives on Oilwell Road, off Petersville Road.
While some Talkeetna residents reported no sign of volcanic activity, a thin veneer of ash blanketed the town's airport.
Here's a few night pictures of the ash:
Ash collects on a state Department of Transportation vehicle at Mile 121 of the Parks Highway. (Dan Carpenter/KTUU-TV
)
Volcanic ash falls at the Trapper Creek Inn (Lori Tipton/KTUU-TV)
Trapper Creek Lodge is along the Parks Highway, quite close to the Talkeetna spur road. It's known as an area with a very dense moose population.
National Geographicsummarizes the ongoing eruptions like this:
The Redoubt Volcano eruption has already sparked earthquake swarms and mudflows, and more are expected—along with perhaps a new lava dome, according to Tina Neal, a volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, which monitors the 10,200-foot (3,100-meter) volcano.
The eruption could continue for days, weeks, or possibly months, Neal said.
FINALLY --- webcam pictures of the volcano close-up:
UPDATE #4
Redoubt erupts for the SIXTH time, caught on webcam:
