AVO Webcam
Camera is located at AVO’s Redoubt Hut, approximately 7.5 mi (12 km) from Redoubt’s summit crater.

Mount Redoubt, located 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, erupted overnight sending ash as high as 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said the first eruption of Redoubt happened Sunday, about 10:38pm local time. At least four other eruptions have occurred since then.

The 10,197 foot peak was being monitored by the AVO since July of last year.

Recent photographs of Mt. Redoubt before the eruption.

Webcams had been set up to monitor the mountain but darkness and snow obscured the initial eruptions.

The AVO expects ash from the volcano to drift north and west of the mountain and away from Anchorage.

Air travel has been affected with several flights out of Anchorage being cancelled. The AVO says Alaska could see continued disruption of flights for the next several weeks or months.

There is no danger to population from lava flow but U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist John Power says the ash from the volcano “does pose significant problems for mechanical systems, people with respiratory illnesses, and aircraft,” Power recommends that residents should be ready to stay indoors.

The National Weather service also recommends that people in the affected area minimize driving and protect electronics from ash. NWS also feels residents should cover air intakes and water supplies.

Mount Redoubt last blew in 1989. Eruptions lasted for five months.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has set up a Twitter feed for those who want to get status updates on Mount Redoubt.

Sources:
Alaska Volcano Observatory
CNN.com

 

The excitement is over for now for scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory as a larger than normal swarm of earthquakes ended under the northern part of Yellowstone Lake at the Yellowstone National Park in Wyomying.

Seismologists at the YVO say that between December 26 of last year until January 8, 2009, Yellowstone experienced approximately 900 seismic events with magnitudes up to 3.9 on the Richter scale. After January 8, the seismic activity dramatically decrease in the park.

Scientists are quick to point out that earthquake swarms are a common occurrence in Yellowstone but they normally do not happen in this quantity. Yellowstone had 315 quakes for the month of January. 205 were associated with the swarm under Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone is situatied on top of a volcano that last erupted over 70,000 years ago.

This swarm is the second largest on record. A swarm of quakes in 1985 is the largest. Records of quake activity at Yellowstone have only been kept since 1973

Experts at the YVO say there are several common causes for earthquake activity at Yellowstone. One such cause are the stresses that occur below ground from the nearby Teton and Hebgen Lake faults.

At this time, none of the hot springs at Yellowstone seem to be affected from the extra seismic activity.

Sources:
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
The Denver Post