Redoubt Re-ignites

By Nancy Atkinson - March 26, 2009 04:46 PM UTC | Planetary Science

[/caption] Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted twice Thursday morning, creating a 12-mile-high cloud of ash. The Alaska Volcano Observatory reported the first eruption came about 8:30 a.m., sending an ash cloud more than 9,100 meters (30,000) feet in the air. A second eruption came about an hour later, and blasted ash 20,000 meters (65,000 feet) high. After the second eruption, mud flows called lahars near the base of the volcano ran into the nearby Drift River. The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for regions surrounding the Drift River, as eruptions can cause snow and ice to melt, causing the river to swell with melt water. The ash is predicted to drift as far as Anchorage, which lies about 160 km (100 miles) northeast of the volcano.

[caption id="attachment_27965" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Redoubt ash plume. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team"]

[/caption] The volcano erupted with five smaller blasts on Monday, but had been relatively quiet for the past two days. Since the earlier eruptions occurred during the night, satellite images were not available during the peak times of eruptions, but scientists are hoping satellites were able to capture the latest eruptions in action.

Airlines have canceled flights around the area, as ash poses a significant threat to aircraft engines. Some regions surrounding Mount Redoubt have been evacuated.

Geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey have said a lot of snow and ice remains on the mountain, increasing the danger from mud flows that already have downed hundreds of trees and carved a huge gouge out of a glacier.

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Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com