Explosion Detected On Alaska Volcano, Alert Level Raised

A monitoring website said an explosion was detected on an isolated Aleutian volcano. It was heard by residents of a small village about 45 miles (72 km) away, prompting scientists to raise the alert level for the mountain on Monday.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to orange from yellow for Cleveland Volcano. The mountain is a 5,676-foot (1,730-metre) peak on the deserted Chuginadak Island, about 940 miles (1,504 km) southwest of Anchorage.

The orange code is the second-highest on the scale. According to the observatory, the code is issued when a volcano “exhibits heightened/escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption”. A red code is issued when an eruption is imminent or under way.

The observatory disclosed that an explosion was detected on Cleveland by both seismic data and infrasound. It was also heard by residents of Nikolski, a community of not more than 50 people on Umnak Island about 45 miles (72 km) to the east.

Cloudy weather covered Cleveland’s summit in satellite images. However, no proof of an eruption cloud had been spotted at a height of 28,000 feet (8,534.4 meters), scientists said

Christened after U.S. President Grover Cleveland, the volcano is one of the most active of Alaska’s scores of volcanoes. Further, its ash cloud could present a risk to aircraft when it erupts.

The observatory said the volcano, which outlines the western portion of Chuginadak Island, has been recurrently producing explosions and small lava flows since 2001.

Alaska’s Aleutian archipelago, of which Chuginadak Island is part of, is a geologically active string of volcanic islands that is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This makes the island very disposed to earthquakes.

Mount Pavlof also displaying unrest

Earlier this year, Mount Pavlof on the Alaska Peninsula exploded with barely any advanced warning. The volcano ejected an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) high. The eruption prompted aviation warnings across the region.

According to the observatory, Pavlof is presently at yellow on the alert scale. This means that it is displaying signs of elevated unrest but not erupting.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

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