Take Cover!!
Redoubt’s a rumblin’.
According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Mt. Redoubt is showing increasing signs of unrest:
Over the past 48 hours, seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano has increased markedly. Beginning at 00:58 AKT (9:58 UTC) this morning, nearly continuous volcanic tremor was recorded at stations near Redoubt’s summit, prompting AVO to raise the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Alert Level to WATCH at 02:09 AKT (11:09 UTC). Seismicity began to decline at about 05:30 AKT (14:30 UTC) this morning, but, as of this writing, still remains well above background levels. AVO plans to fly an observation flight of the volcano this afternoon, weather permitting.
The current activity at Redoubt could be precursory to an eruption, perhaps within hours to days. A further increase in seismicity is expected to accompany an eruption. There is no indication that the volcano is currently erupting.
It’s probably not something I should admit, but I’m a fan of natural disasters, so long as nobody gets hurt. I love watching Mother Nature show us that she’s still in charge and that she brought us into this World and she can take us out of it.
I was in elementary school the last time she blew. I remember getting in trouble for telling my classmates that the volcano was going to send fireballs and lava all over our city and we were all going to die. The teacher wasn’t amused with the dozen kids she had to try and get to stop crying.
Here’s what that eruption looked like:
Redoubt Volcano
Beautiful, ain’t it?
UPDATE: CNN picked up the story.
Beautiful picture, yes. BUT – how close are you to Redoubt? Will an eruption have an effect on your air and water quality? (New England – no volcanoes)
Watching Mother Nature flaunt her power is magnificent, but IMO, volcanic eruptions are best viewed on the teevee machine.
Redoubt is about 50 miles west from here. That photo was taken from here, so that's a good idea of how far it appears. The eruption that that picture shows sent a big ash cloud over our city. It darkened the sky so that pictures taken at noon looked more like midnight. It left a layer of ash on the ground that apparently is terrible for vehicle engines. They sent us home from school with particulate masks on. I'm not sure how much of an affect it had on the water system.