Mt. Redoubt... Erupt Or Not?

Seems like Alaska's Volcano called Mt Redoubt is living up to its name yet again! For almost 2 months now, Mt Redoubt has been acting up and then dying down. Threatening eruption... then quiet.

Speculations abound on if the volcano will really erupt and if it does... how bad will it be... Mt Redoubt has had a history of acting up for centuries, and I wouldn't doubt that Alaskan oldtimers are taking bets on when it will erupt.

Beautiful Scenic Volcano Mt Redoubt when peaceful taken by K.L. Wallace, August 11, 2005

When viewing this beautiful mountain when all is calm, it is hard to believe that this is one of the most active volcanoes in the upper Cook Inlet... with Mt Spurr toe to toe on sesmic activity

Mt Redoubt currant eruption photo by Heather Bleick taken on March 15, 2009
courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey

Just a few days ago after everyone was settling down thinking it was going to erupt again, it started up again, this picture above was taken March 15, 2009. It seems the Mt Redoubt is causeing doubts again on if it will erupt or not. The emergency code has been risen to code Orange - Alert level watch.

Orange meaning:
ORANGE: Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions [ash-plume height specified, if possible].

Watch meaning:
WATCH: Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway but poses limited hazards.

Alert level warning meanings are exerpts from the Alaska.edu

The summit crater of Volcano Mt Redoubt taken by Chris Waythomas on January 31,, 2009

Photo taken by Chris Waythomas on January 31, 2009 shows a fumarole on the side of Mt Redoubt
courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey

A Fumerole is :
A fumarole (Latin fumus, smoke) is an opening in Earth's (or any other astronomical body's) crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The name solfatara, from the Italian solfo, sulfur (via the Sicilian dialect), is given to fumaroles that emit sulfurous gases.

Fumaroles may occur along tiny cracks or long fissures, in chaotic clusters or fields, and on the surfaces of lava flows and thick deposits of pyroclastic flows. A fumarole field is an area of thermal springs and gas vents where magma or hot igneous rocks at shallow depth are releasing gases or interacting with groundwater. From the perspective of groundwater, fumaroles could be described as a hot spring that boils off all its water before the water reaches the surface.
Exerpt taken from Wikipedia.org

A vertical view inside the summit Crater of Volcano Mt Redoubt taken by Christina Neal and Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey

A vertical view inside the summit crater of Mt Redoubt taken by Christian Neal courtesy of
Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey

Nearly vertical view of the area inside the summit crater at Redoubt affected by tephra fall from the small ash erupton of March 15, 2009. The new vent is obscured and out of view to the upper left. The vapor and gas cloud at left is rising from the new vent and the 1990 dome and other fumarolic sources. Note the significant ice collapse. Dark area at lower right is (?) a remnant of the 1960s dome poking through the ice. If you zoom into this image, you might find hints of large ballistics ejected during the explosion - hard to be sure. These are large crevasses hundreds of meters long and tens of meters wide
Exerpt taken from: Alaska.edu

Beautiful photo of Volcano Mt Redoubt erupting steam and ash, taken by David Wartinbee on March 15, 2009

Even tho it has been inconsistantly threatening eruption the past few months, Mt Redoubt makes some beautiful photographs that for some strange reason depict a peaceful environment. Maybe it is the flowing plume of steam and ash into the clear air that makes it so picturesque... or maybe it is the feeling of wonder at how volcanoes work! I don't know but I do hope that if it finally does erupt that it will not cause too much damage, and will again quiet down for years to come.

Here are a couple of helpful links on how and what to do if a volcano erupts;
How to prepare for a Vocanic Eruption: Volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/
Ash Fall collection directions: Alaska.edu/ashfall.php

Background photo on ihis post is a picture of Mt. Redoubt erupting in 1990, taken by R. Clucas

Later...

K Fields

See Also: Mountainous Eruptivity

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