Date: 24-Mar-09
Country: US
Author: Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE - Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted with a burst of ash that rose more than 9 miles (15 km), and more eruptions are expected.
The first blast occurred at 10:38 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday (0538 GMT Monday), the Alaska Volcano Observatory said, followed by four smaller eruptions.
The 10,197-foot (3,108-metre) volcano, located 106 miles (170 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, had been showing signs of a possible eruption for about two months. So far Anchorage has been untouched by harmful volcanic ash.
"There were five explosive events," said Tina Neal, a geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, from around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday to 4:31 a.m. (0831 GMT) on Monday. Each lasted about 10 to 20 minutes.
"Each event sent up an ash cloud as high as 50,000 (15,200 meters) and possibly 60,000 feet (18,300 metres)," Neal said.
The observatory warned airlines to steer planes clear of the area. Alaska Air Group Inc, the state's leading carrier, said it had cancelled 16 flights in and out of Anchorage by Monday morning.
The bulk of the ash was blown at the 30,000-foot (9,150-metre) level, and is not reaching significantly populated areas, Neal said. It was blowing north-northeast and had been reported in the tiny community of Skwentna and possibly in Talkeetna.
"The volcano is still restless," she said. "We'll be watching it very closely. It is highly unstable still and further eruptions are likely."
The latest round of seismic activity at Redoubt started in January, prompting the observatory to put it on an alert status and, at times, have staff on duty 24 hours a day.
Residents of Anchorage and other communities in the region had prepared for an eruption by buying breathing masks for possible ash contamination and stocking up on food and water.
The volcano last rumbled to life in December 1989, erupting multiple times over a period of weeks. The eruptions sent ash plumes almost 8 miles (13 km) high, and the first blast nearly downed a KLM jetliner.
(Editing by Bill Rigby and Xavier Briand)
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