Continue reading »]]> An Alaskan volcano 100 miles (160km) south-west of the state’s largest city, Anchorage, erupted overnight, sending a plume of smoke up to 15,000 metres (50,000ft) into the air.

Mount Redoubt experienced four large explosions late on Sunday and early today, according to geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The observatory has issued a red alert, meaning eruption is imminent or under way, with significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere likely.

The current wind patterns are taking the ash cloud away from Anchorage and instead heading toward Willow and Talkneetna, two communities near Mount McKinley, North America’s largest mountain in Denali national park.

Geophysicist John Power said no cities have yet reported any ash-fall from the volcano, but noted that it was still early.

Using radar and satellite technology, the National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting ash to start falling later today .

Dave Stricklan, a hydrometeorogical technician with the NWS, said he expected very fine ash: “Just kind of a light dusting”. He said the significant amount of ash probably dropped immediately, right down the side of the volcano.

“The heavier stuff drops out very quickly, and then the other stuff filters out. There’s going to be a very fine amount of it that’s going to be suspended in the atmosphere for quite some time, but nothing to really affect anything such as aviation travel.”

Redoubt is a steep-sided cone-shaped volcano, about 6 miles in diameter, which last erupted nearly 20 years ago.

Observatory geologists monitored the eruption and posted updates in real-time last night. At 10.35pm, they reported: “At these heightened levels of seismicity, there could be a quick escalation to eruptive activity.”

Three minutes later, the first explosion took place, followed by a second about 20 minutes later. The third occurred 15 minutes after midnight and the final explosion was registered at 1.39am.

Geologists noted an increase in seismic activity at the volcano last week. Last Monday they reported a small explosion and “plume of gas and ash that rose to about 15,000ft above sea level” did not herald a significant eruption in the short term, but added: “Conditions may evolve rapidly.”

Alaskan volcano Mount Redoubt erupts

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An underwater volcano has erupted close to the Tonga coast, in the South Pacific ocean.

Scientists sailed to inspect the the volcano, which has been shooting smoke, steam and ash into the air near the low-lying twin volcanic islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai.

Local authorities said coastal villages close to the active volcano were not yet at risk, and that no warnings had been issued.

Underwater volcano erupts off Tonga

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Continue reading »]]> Chile’s Chaiten volcano, which erupted spectacularly last year, spewed a vast cloud of ash on Thursday in what appeared to be a partial collapse of its cone.

Television footage showed a could of ash billowing into the sky over the town of Chaiten, which lies about six miles (10 km) from the crater.

Authorities evacuated about 160 people from the area. Most of the town’s 4,500 residents were evacuated last year after the volcano, dormant for thousands of years, erupted. The government is planning to relocate the town.

“There has been a significant resumption of activity of Chaiten volcano,” Deputy Interior Minister Patricio Rosende said. “Our security team have observed an increase in the size of a column of ash and smoke, with a deformation to one side.”

“That leads us to presume that there is a collapse of one of the cones,” he added. “This is more proof of the imminent risk in the area. It is a time-bomb.”

National emergency office Onemi said that while there was a large volume of ash, there had been none of the earth tremors or groaning sounds that accompanied activity last year.

The government insists on moving the entire town, but some residents are resisting the plan — to the exasperation of emergency officials.

“The volcano has always been in a state of eruption (since May), that has to be made clear,” an Onemi official said, asking not to be named.

“We have repeatedly said that there is a red alert and that people should not be there, and if that had been respected, then police would not be evacuating people.”

A cloud of debris soared as high as 20 miles (32 km) into the air when the volcano erupted in May and was kept aloft by the pressure of constant eruptions for weeks, covering towns in neighboring Argentina with volcanic ash. (Reporting by Monica Vargas and Simon Gardner)

Chile’s Chaiten volcano spewing ash again | Reuters

Continue reading »]]> A volcano near southwest Colombia’s border with Ecuador erupted on Saturday, leading the government to issue a “red alert” for the region.

There were not believed to be any fatalities or injuries in the blast, which happened at about 7:10 p.m. ET (12:10 a.m. Sunday GMT), said Carlos Lineras of the Colombia Institute for Geology and Mines.

The institute issued an evacuation order for about 7,000 people living near the Galeras volcano.

The volcano is not in a heavily populated region.

Galeras has erupted several times since it became active again in 1989. The only fatalities were in 1993, when nine people — all scientists or tourists in or near the volcano’s crater — were killed.

Volcano eruption sparks alert in Colombia