(Note: Mt. Spurr is an active volcano roughly 78 miles west of Anchorage, across the Cook Inlet. Prevailing winds are WSW to ENE, so any ash tends to blow almost straight across the greater Anchorage area. Paul)
The observatory says that new magma has intruded into the Earth’s crust beneath the volcano, which indicates an eruption is likely — but not certain — within the next few weeks or months.
... “Those eruptions each lasted a few hours and produced ash clouds that were carried downwind for hundreds of miles and minor ashfall [up to about ¼ inch] on Southcentral Alaska communities,” Haney said.
... Alaska Volcano Observatory Scientist in Charge Matthew Haney says the most likely outcome is something similar to what occurred in 1953 and 1992.
“Those eruptions each lasted a few hours and produced ash clouds that were carried downwind for hundreds of miles and minor ashfall [up to about ¼ inch] on Southcentral Alaska communities,” Haney said.
 |
| Screenshot / National Geographic |
8 comments:
Oh lovely... Stay safe!
We'll do what we're able to do: a) wrap the air filters on the cars & truck with pantyhose to help keep the silica glass beads out of the engine, b) change the oil every month, c) change the air filters every 30 days, d) drive slow so as not to raise dust clouds, and e) wear N95 respirator masks & laboratory goggles whenever we're outside. Dang it.
Ugh. No fun. I mean, it made a great story: "the first time my husband and I met, we *almost* outran a volcanic ash cloud together... we were only a mile from the house when the blast front hit..."
But the reality is never as great as the war story afterwards. Stay safe out there!
Wing, you know it! We've already survived the 7.2 magnitude in 2018 and the damage to the house & destruction of the septic system, at least three of the top 10 deepest snowfalls in the Anchorage area, 95 mph winds (gusting to 107) just a couple of months ago ... Let me just say that Alaska is a great place to live, but not such a good place to grow old in.
I'm glad we don't live in an ashfall area! Except when the forests burn. Or if Yellowstone goes BOOM!
We'll say a prayer tonight for your safety.
drjim, we’ll gladly accept all the prayers we can get. When Mt Spurr last blew its top, it erupted 3 times, and cleanup took all summer.
Yikes Reverend! Prayers Up.
At least you have lived through it before. I cannot imagine having to do that for the first time.
TB, what we got in '09 was just a dusting. A quarter-inch is a whole different animal. I'd just as soon the wind would blow it to the west instead of east.
Post a Comment