Vikings Volcanic Activity Thread

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

Cheers karyo

UPDATE - REDOUBT

All fairly quiet at the moment with seismicity, whilst still elevated, having quietened down somewhat since yesterday. However, this does not mean that the eruption is over, far from it. Redoubt has exhibited this sort of behaviour in previous eruptions and can suddenly burst into life again at short notice. As a consequence, AVO maintains the alert state at RED.

Flank webicorder

Map, courtesy AVO, showing location of Redoubt and surrounding area:

Edited March 24, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Nothing yet on the Hut webcam but the good news is the mirk on the Cook Inlet cam seems to be clearing so hopefully we may get a good view in a wee while.

Hut webcam

Cook Inlet webcam

[chionomaniac]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Nothing yet on the Hut webcam but the good news is the mirk on the Cook Inlet cam seems to be clearing so hopefully we may get a good view in a wee while.

Hut webcam

Cook Inlet webcam

Hut webcam almost giving a picture..... if only that cloud could lift a bit more!

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

Bladdy typical!! We can see the lower part of the volcano but the cloud cover is obscuring the summit

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

What you can see, however, is a lot of lahars extending down the flanks, particularly in the left and bottom centre of the picture

[ukweathergirl]

finally Shetland what do you mean by VEI4?

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

finally Shetland what do you mean by VEI4?

VEI = Volcanic Explosivity Index. Its a measure of the explosive power of a volcanic eruption based on certain factors such as the type of eruption, how high the eruption column goes into the atmosphere and how much material is ejected. A good guide here: VEI scale

Each increment on the scale is an increase in explosive power of 10 times the previous level (apart from VEI 1 to 2 just to be confusing lol)

[Mondy]

Research shows that large earthquakes occur at low sunspot frequencies. A sample of global earthquakes greater than Magnitude 6 for the period 1973-2005 (USGS) compared to smoothed monthly sunspot figures (SIDC) show that 71% of earthquake energy is released and 59% of earthquake events occur at lower than average sunspot activity.

http://www.jupitersdance.com/

Nice sat image: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37615

Edited March 24, 2009 by Delta X-Ray

[BARRY]

http://www.jupitersdance.com/

Nice sat image: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37615

thats a hell of a good read.

[weatherobsuk]

Finally a clear summit view of a Eruption today on Redoubt on the AVO website (Image archive.) Taken from the Hut webcam.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Seismicity has declined siginificantly overnight with earthquakes happening at a rate of 10 per hour compared with 10 every 10-15 minutes over the past couple of days. This could change rapidly at any time, however, and the alert state remains at RED.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

MAUNA LOA - HAWAII

Today is the 25th anniversary of the last eruption of the worlds largest volcano, Mauna Loa (the Long Mountain) on Hawaii. Unlike its more famous neighbour, Kilaeua, Mauna Loa does not continuously erupt and there is nothing unusual about the last 25 years of quiesence, the volcano is very much alive and will erupt again.

If you thought Kilaeua produces a lot of lava consider this. During the last eruption in 1984, Mauna Loa produced as much lava in 3 weeks as Kilaeua does in 3 years!!

Mauna Loa is a "Decade Volcano" beacuse of its eruptive history and its potential for destruction due to its proximity to human habitation. It is intensively monitored by HVO so we should get plenty of warning when it erupts again. The volcano has erupted, on average, every ten years over the last 2000 years so while another eruption may seem to be overdue, volcanos are, of course, unpredictable. Mauna Loa also has deep faults running beneath it and this poses the danger of sudden and massive flank collapses which in turn could trigger tsunami.

Latest information re Mauna Loa can be found here: HVO

Edited March 25, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

There has been another explosive event at Redoubt. This one occurred at 1312 our time and sent an ash cloud up to approx 15,000ft which then drifted North before petering out. No ash advisories have been issued as a result as it is thought unlikely there will be any lasting impact from this event. Seismicity has been more elevated since the event and it just shows there could well be more to come. The volcano is exhibiting the same pattern of behaviour as the previous eruption in 1989-90 and, like that one, these burst of explosive activity could continue for months.

AVO have some excellent pics here: AVO Redoubt pictures

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Just under an hour ago there was another small explosive event at Redoubt. This was similar in nature to the one earlier today although the plume is estimated to have got no higher than 12,000ft this time. The explosion also triggered a lahar on the north flank of the volcano.

Flank webicorder

Todays two explosions can be clearly seen on the webicorder trace.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Due to the decline in seismic activity at Redoubt over the past couple of days, AVO has this evening lowered the alert state to ORANGE. They do, however, expect these episodic burst of explosive activity/ash production to continue intermittently and the alert state will be reviewed accordingly. It would now appear that Redoubt has settled down into a similar eruptive pattern as the 1989-90 eruption so this may go on for several months. Unless something significant happens, I wont be updating as regularly as I was during the eruption. Probably famous last words :lol:

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - CHAITEN

Chaiten continues to erupt and is still going through cycles of lava dome construction/destruction. Some good views on the webcam today of the eruption plume:

Chaiten webcam

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Something definitely kicking off at Redoubt again, the webicorders are going daft!! Nothing on the webcams due to lousy weather but I suspect the alert state will be going to RED again very shortly.

Flank webicorder

As I speak AVO are raising the alert state to RED. An eruption cloud up to over 30,000ft has been detected on radar. This would make it the most powerful exploive event since the initial eruption.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

AVO have raised the alert level at Redoubt again to RED. An explosive event started at 1634 our time this afternoon, hurling an eruption cloud up to some 30,000ft. This event is still in progress. Unfortunately views from the webcams are obscured by poor weather conditions. Stay tuned for further updates

The screenshot of the webicorder trace clearly shows the event kicking off!

Edited March 26, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

The event is slackening off now. AVO have characterised this event as being much larger than the explosive events of the last couple of days, but much smaller than the original 6 that made up the initial eruption.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE -REDOUBT

Its all kicking off again! Another major explosive event, this time a pilot reports the eruption cloud up to 65,000ft, if that is confirmed then this is the largest explosive event since the eruption started.

[Anti-Mild]

UPDATE -REDOUBT

Its all kicking off again! Another major explosive event, this time a pilot reports the eruption cloud up to 65,000ft, if that is confirmed then this is the largest explosive event since the eruption started.

It'd be interesting to know the cumulative amount of SO2 belched out by Redoubt over the course of it's series of eruptions. It must be getting to the stage where climate may be affected in the short term.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

It'd be interesting to know the cumulative amount of SO2 belched out by Redoubt over the course of it's series of eruptions. It must be getting to the stage where climate may be affected in the short term.

Indeed, particularly with the eruption cloud on occasion getting up to 60,000ft and beyond.

National Weather Service confirms pilot observation, latest eruption cloud has exceeded 65,000ft.

NWS issues ashfall advisory for Kenai penisula:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK

944 AM AKDT THU MAR 26 2009

AKZ121-270000-

/X.NEW.PAFC.AF.Y.0005.090326T1744Z-090327T0000Z/

WESTERN KENAI PENINSULA-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KENAI...SOLDOTNA...HOMER...

COOPER LANDING

944 AM AKDT THU MAR 26 2009

...ASHFALL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM AKDT THIS AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED AN ASHFALL

ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM AKDT THIS AFTERNOON.

MOUNT REDOUBT HAS ERUPTED MULTIPLE TIMES THIS MORNING. THE MOST

SIGNIFICANT ERUPTION OCCURRED AROUND 924 AM WITH A PLUME RISING

UP TO 60000 FEET. ASH FROM THESE ERUPTIONS WILL TRACK TO THE

KENAI PENINSULA WITH ESTIMATED ARRIVAL OF ASH BETWEEN NOON AND

2 PM. MINOR ASHFALL IS LIKELY FROM NINILCHIK SOUTHWARD TO THE

SOUTHERN TIP OF THE KENAI PENINSULA...INCLUDING HOMER AND

COMMUNITIES ALONG KACHEMAK BAY. A TRACE TO ONE EIGHT OF AN INCH

OF ASH MAY ACCUMULATE THIS AFTERNOON. TRACE AMOUNTS OF ASH ARE

ALSO POSSIBLE FOR AREAS NORTH OF NINILCHIK.

UPDATE -REDOUBT

The volcanic ash from these events is drifting straight toward the Cook Inlet webcam, indeed this has darkened somewhat over the past half hour or so although it is also overcast.

Cook Inlet webcam

Edited March 26, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[weatherobsuk]

Bloody Alaskan weather eh lol. Is it ALWAYS cloudy there. The CI cam is getting darker noticeably every refresh however.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

Bloody Alaskan weather eh lol. Is it ALWAYS cloudy there. The CI cam is getting darker noticeably every refresh however.

Yes its seriously flaming irritating isn't it Mind you, theres obviously been a helluva snow there because when the Hut webcam cleared a little earlier to show the lowe slopes of the volcano, all the lahars that were visible the other day were covered by snow.

Volcanos and oodles of snow. I think I'll move

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Although the main big bang has settled down there have been a couple more smaller events since that. Avo are saying the major event sent another lahar down the Drift River Valley.