Volcano Watch: Mt. Spurr eruption becoming more likely

(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)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Volcano Observatory has seen an increase in volcanic gas emissions from Mount Spurr during flyovers in the last week.

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

Eruption: White Island, New Zealand

 This is an extraordinary video, automatically home-installed cameras, which shows the volcanic eruption of the White Island of New Zealand on December 9, 2019, in which 18 people died. 

Wait 24 seconds when the roar of nature begins and most importantly, wait another 24 seconds after the passage of the black cloud - you think the video is over, but that's not the case. Be patient.

h/t Tom S.

Iced In, On a Volcano

Here's a different kind of story:

The Associated Press reports that a USGS crew is stranded after an ice storm prevented them from getting to the helicopter they previously landed at 6,500 feet up on the flank of an Alaskan volcano.


Story here.


Come to think of it, it's not so strange - for Alaska - after all.

Mt. Redoubt - the Continuing Story

I haven't mentioned our old friend, Mt. Redoubt, in awhile.

There haven't been any major eruptions in several weeks, but it's not finished.

Here's the latest from the Alaska Volcano Observatory:




2009-05-18 15:44:04 The 2009 eruption of Redoubt continues. Webcam views today show continued steaming from the summit crater. Occasional rockfalls down the steep sides of the lava dome are also continuing, often generating diffuse, low-level ash clouds at the summit. Seismicity remains low, but is above background levels.

This picture was taken about 15 minutes ago (4:10 pm, AK time).

Friday Morning 5/8

Good morning!

Mt. Redoubt has been quieting down, over the last 72 hours or so. The seismic activity is decreasing, although it's still "significantly above background levels." Some observers saw flares and smoke trails earlier, and got excited.

It turns out the military is conducting some sort of training exercises in the Redoubt area (disaster recovery, perhaps?) and is using flares. I know the personnel are doing what they're ordered to do, and as a veteran I know the importance of training ... but ... firing flares in the vicinity of an erupting volcano would seem to be from the same playbook as flying Air Force One at low altitude over Manhattan. Insensitivity to people's apprehension, at best.

I expected better than this from our government, but apparently my expectations are no longer realistic.

* * * * *

It was already light when I arose at 5:10 this morning. Have I mentioned how much I love springtime/early summer in Alaska? It won't get dark until after 11 p.m., and we're still gaining light at the rate of over five minutes per day.

We've also already had more sunny days than in all of 2008. That doesn't hurt, either. Many of us are literally light-deprived, and this is helping that condition big time!

* * * * *

The ice-jam that caused the Kuskokwim River to back up & flood the village of Eagle finally broke yesterday, and the waters are receding rapidly. Now the villagers are trying to figure out how to recover. Many if not all of the buildings were pushed off their foundations by the ice, and some of the buildings appear to have been ... well, folded comes to mind. It's not pretty.

The receding waters have also left massive piles of ice behind. As I mentioned yesterday, many chunks are as big as houses.

Several other communities are facing similar prospects, along that river and others. Governor Palin cancelled her trip to the east coast, yesterday morning, and flew to that part of the state to survey the damage before declaring it a disaster area.

The news today is full of a report, by a local pollster, that Sarah's positive rating has slipped to 54%. It's amazing to me that she's still ranked that high, given the non-stop pounding from the press and the hard-left loons who hate and fear her.

* * * * *

Our gas prices has risen to $2.49 per gallon. Neither public outcry nor threats of strict legislation have impressed the refinery operators. You can read more here.

* * * * *

That's about it for this morning. Thanks for visiting!

Thursday Morning Meh

I've got nuthin'.

Mt. Redoubt is a little quieter this morning; the mid- and low-level winds are blowing to the south/southwest, away from us. That's a good thing.

Governor Palin has declared the flooded areas to be a disaster zone; the ice floes include chunks larger than the houses they're dislodging. A number of villages are under water, and Eagle has practically been scoured by ice. Not good at all.

FYI, the flooding is in eastern Alaska, near the Canadian border. It's hundreds of miles northeast of Anchorage. We got rain showers yesterday and last night (yes!!!) which will make the dust obey itself, today.

That's it for this morning. Maybe something will come to me, later. Have a great day, friends.

Mt. Redoubt on Wednesday Morning

Enjoy the view, folks.

Wednesday Morning, May 6

Good morning!

The good guy won our mayoral race - and his opponent confirmed, in my mind, why he lost. His remarks on TV news were ... let's say less than conciliatory. He said, "He's got a big job ahead of him, and I hope he's up to it."

Classy to the last, eh?

* * * * *

It's warmer than yesterday morning, by about 10 degrees, but feels colder. Yesterday was clear, sunny and 33, with low humidity. Today it's cloudy with lowering skies, and quite windy. We finally closed the windows and ran the furnace for a cycle, to take the chill out of the place.

* * * * *

There is significant flooding along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, in the Interior. Those rivers are clogged by ice that hasn't melted, and the floes blocked the snowmelt from upstream - which has now flooded several villages.

The ice has stripped trees bare, knocked down power transmission poles, and worse. The "worse" is that it has also collapsed houses and other buildings, and has pushed yet more off their foundations. The damage is substantial in the villages of Eagle, Circle, Fort Yukon, Beaver, and Stevens, among others. The villages of Kalskag, Kobuk, and McGrath are in potential danger, as well.

* * * * *

The road to Whittier is still closed due to the rockslide which happened earlier this year. Engineers did more blasting, yesterday, to bring down large slabs which had been threatening to fall. They're hopeful that they've cleared the worst of it, and will be able to open the road soon.

So are the residents, I'm sure.

* * * * *

Mt. Redoubt hasn't blown again - yet - but the Volcano Observatory website posted this at 6:28 this morning: "Seismic activity remains elevated and largely unchanged over the last 2 hours. It is possible that an explosive event could occur at any time with little warning."

That's enough news for now; I will have a fairly quiet day today, I think. AccuHunch is guessing we might get some rain, which would be good.

Y'all come back!

Tuesday Morning, May 5

Good morning!

It's back, folks. Mt. Redoubt is "likely to erupt" in the next few days, the experts say. Here's the current Observatory statement:

2009-05-05 07:16:34
Seismic and rockfall activity increasing. Explosive eruption likely in coming days; could occur at any time with little or no warning.

The growing lava dome is becoming increasingly unstable and should a dome failure occur it likely would result in a significant explosion producing high altitude (>30,000 ft ASL) ash plumes, trace to minor ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska, lahars in the Drift River Valley, and pyroclastic flows in the immediate vicinity of the volcano.

* * * * *

Today is the mayoral run-off election in Anchorage; we'll see if we can get a fiscal conservative elected to the office for a change. He garnered 43-point-something of the vote last month, but it takes a 45 per cent majority to be elected. His opponent has been lying (why doesn't that surprise anyone?) about the good guy's supposed plan to implement a large sales tax.

He did say that he'd support a sales tax if it would replace the property tax on a dollar-for-dollar basis. When he found out it would take a 14 per cent sales tax to do that, he dropped the idea. His opponent (who'd like his name mentioned here) continues to talk about it as if it were still in discussion. Naturally, we must scare the voters in order for the other fella to get enough votes to win.

* * * * *

It's 33 degrees this morning, which is just about normal. We've had overnight "lows" in the upper 40s and low 50s for the last several days, but the jet stream has obviously shifted. The forecast is for 55 degrees today, just a few degrees above normal. The sun is already shining, though, so how bad can it be?

I'm off to cast my vote. Have a great day, folks, and come on back!

Monday Morning All Over Again

Good day! I hope it's a fine day for you, wherever you are reading this.

My birthday was a very pleasant day, and thank you to those who commented.

Our normal high for this time of year is 51, so you'll understand when I say it's unseasonably warm. We had 70 on Saturday, and 67 yesterday. 20 degrees above normal is hard on bodies that are just coming out of winter-season acclimatization.

AccuHunch Weather is guessing it will get up to only 58 today, which is better ... for us. It appears to be clouding up, too, so it will be the first non-sunny day in two weeks. For the record, we had more sunny days in April than in all of 2008.

Mt. Redoubt is rumbling again, and spat a column of ashy steam to about 18,000 feet, earlier this morning. It has calmed a little since then, but the vulcanologists think it will blow again, and soon.

The prevailing winds are out of the NNW, so none of the ash would come this way. That's good for us; not so good for folks in the lower half of the Kenai Peninsula, who would get yet another layer of ash if Redoubt blows today.

That's about it for now; it's time to get ready for work. If anyone has any rain to spare, please send it this way. Thanks!

Mt. Redoubt: Close-Up

The weather at the summit of Mt. Redoubt is clear today, and there's a dandy photo available on the website.

I'm posting it here for your viewing pleasure.

Saturday in the Great Land

(Alyeska = archaic spelling of an Aleut word meaning "great land")

Good morning! It's 40 degrees at 11:44 a.m., with a gentle breeze & rapid shrinkage of the remaining snow. Large rocky patches have appeared on the southwest faces of the mountains, three miles away.

A co-worker told me yesterday that she saw seven (7!) moose in the Potter Marsh, a popular bird-watching sanctuary just a couple miles south of here. Darn - I missed a great photo op.

Oh, well. Here's a moose pic just for shucks & giggles.
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In the news:

* Another busy-body federal appeals court has cancelled Alaska's plans to expand its off-shore oil & gas drilling. Never mind that our dependence on foreign oil could be reduced by this measure. Never mind that there are oil company ships sitting there, waiting to go to work. Never mind the hundreds of jobs that would be created, while at the same time pumping badly-needed oil into the pipeline, meeting the needs for the next several decades.

Yeah, why would we want this stuff? Oh. Right.

* Fox News discussed Governor Palin's appearance at the right-to-life banquet in Indiana, last night. They came to the conclusion that while Sarah Palin is much more politically astute than many people think, and knows far more about energy policy than almost any other potential candidate, she won't be a good candidate for the presidency in 2012.

Why? Because she's not "fostering relationships with other Republicans at the national level" that would give her the support network she'd need for a successful candidacy. They also point out the ongoing acrimony in Juneau.

It's sad to say that they may be right. I absolutely agree that many, many conservatives would vote for her in a heartbeat, but I don't think she'd be able to generate a majority. It would be nice to be wrong about this, though.

* The final votes in the Anchorage mayoral race will be counted & tallied by this afternoon, with about 5,100 ballots to be reviewed. This could end the race, since the leader had 43.45 per cent after election day.

* Mt. Redoubt continues to emit steam & smoke, but hasn't had any major emissions of ash yet. I pray it remains that way. The ash & dust levels in town are already nasty.

Hey, look! The sun's trying to come out. Oooooh .... shiny.

My wife & I will go look at new dinette sets this afternoon, and I'm taking her out to supper. Y'all have a great day, too!

Thursday Morning

Good morning out there!

It's 28 degrees with a light frost, headed for the mid-40s, or so AccuHunch Weather is guessing.

The most highly-watched TV station in Anchorage reported briefly on the tea parties here & in Wasilla, this morning. They got it mostly right, but the anchor introduced the segment by stating the rallies were part of a "nationally-organized movement." (sigh)

They just don't get it. Like all the others who are hearing these comments, I defy the newspeople to point to a "national organizer." Go ahead; I'll wait.

No, I won't. Life's too short to wait for oblivious people to stumble over the truth.

The protesters get it: the Daily News article says, in part, "Protesters ... say the federal government ought to let the free market save the crumbling economy rather than going deeper in debt through bailouts or stimulus spending to spur recovery.
"Anchorage sign wavers wore tea bags tied to their jacket zippers or eyeglasses, sometimes chanting or singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Drivers leaned on their horns as they rolled past signs that said things like: "We are not your ATM." "

Read the rest here.

Moving on ... I enjoyed the clever signs and slogans that people brought to yesterday's gathering. One younger kid was holding a sign reading, "Print me a trillion while you're at it." Maybe he wants a loaf of bread ...

* * * * *

Alaska stuff: the Governor and the legislature continue to wrassle over the nomination of a replacement for the representative from the Juneau area. Gov. Palin continues to submit names, albeit several of the same ones, and the Democratic reps continue to reject them. Now that antagonism is spilling over into the confirmation process for her Attorney General nominee.
... Come on, folks, we have budget issues to solve, and only a few days left before the mandatory adjournment of this session. Get back to work, please?

The Municipality of Anchorage faces a $17 million shortfall, and the acting mayor has submitted a "leaner budget" ... but guess what it includes? Come on, guess! Anyone?

Yep, that's right: a five percent hike in property taxes.

The Muni also says that the new "wildlife cop" (read bear control officer) is to "focus on protecting people." What a concept, huh? Now if only they can figure out how to pay the salary for this new position while slashing the police and fire department budgets ...

Mt. Redoubt continues its now-nonstop emission of steam and ash, with a plume varying between 15,000 to 20,000 feet (the crater is at about 10,000 feet above sea level). The Volcano Observatory's website says "The potential for renewed explosive activity is high and may resume with little warning, likely generating an ash plume ..." Winds are blowing SSW, so there's no ash danger for the populated areas today, if an eruption should occur.

That's all I have - thanks for stopping by.

Monday Morning

Good morning! We received three inches of the "little or no accumulation of snow" that was forecast by our friends at AccuHunch Weather ... but the same folks also say it will be near 40 today, so the snow won't last long.

It's typical April weather for Anchorage: just as the roads dry off, so that you can drive the 6 or 7 miles home without using a half-gallon of windshield washer fluid, it snows & makes the drive a sloppy mess again.

At least everything will look fresh and clean, this morning. The ongoing melting of snow has left the volcanic ash from Mt. Redoubt on top, where it's a black, gooey sludge. A hard rain might wash some of it away, but we don't get hard rains. Oh, well, it's going to be a nasty, dusty mess once the snow is gone.

We're stocking up on air cleaners for the cars - the authorities tell us we'll have to change the filters every 100 miles until the ash stops blowing around.

* * * * *

Speaking of the volcano, it has been quiet for several days now ("quiet" being a relative term). The eruption continues, but it has been confined to a steam plume with only minor amounts of ash. The plume has stayed around the 15,000 foot height, meaning the ash - if any - won't get here.

* * * * *

The Anchorage Tea Party is set for noon at the federal building, downtown. I want to go & take pictures, if I can. I don't know who might be scheduled to speak, but I'm sure the organizers will be there. A few barking moonbats will probably be there, as well, with their typical show of force: three to six people with pro-Obama signs, yelling at the 600 attendees to be quiet. Give or take.
I'm sure we'll treat them with the same respect they afforded George W. Bush during his Presidency.

Come to think of it, perhaps they'd better not show up!

Thursday Thoughts

That title may be somewhat overblown: I'm not sure I have any thoughts particularly worth sharing, this morning. Let's see ...

* The mayoral campaign is headed for a run-off election on May 5th ... or is it? Apparently, there are about two thousand absentee ballots that won't be counted until April 17-18, to allow for last-minute posts to arrive. It could, repeat could throw enough votes to the leader to push him above the 45 percent margin needed for victory. I'm guessing it probably won't.

* It's 25 degrees with a high overcast and some frost - typical spring weather, for Anchorage. I'll wind up scraping both cars this morning, as my wife likes to get into a pre-heated, clear-windowed vehicle and just go. Who am I to stand in her way?

* Wayne Ross, our Attorney General nominee (who happens to be a director of the NRA) underwent his first day of grilling by the Legislature, yesterday. The local press is determined to make him "controversial" in order to have something to write about.

Mr. Ross appears to be a strict Constitutionalist, insisting that the law be enforced as written, and applied equally to all Alaskans. I suppose that view, these days, does make him controversial. He has my support, for whatever that's worth.

* Mt. Redoubt remains quiet this morning. The winds appear to be blowing to the east, so ashfall (if another eruption occurs today) would be spread just south of Anchorage, across the northern portion of the Kenai Peninsula.

That's all I have for now, but readers of this little blog know that conditions can change rapidly! Stay tuned, folks.

And Earthquakes, Too

Specifically, a 4.6 'quake located 18 miles from Anchorage, at 12:12 this afternoon. It has been followed by a whole series of smaller quakes in roughly the same area, ranging from 1.2 to 2.4 on the scale.

And of course, with seismic activity comes another kind of activity:

"2009-04-07 12:08:37 - The eruption of Redoubt continues with varying intensity of ash and lava production from the summit crater. Visual, satellite, and seismic observations indicate that a lava dome is again forming in the summit crater. A small steam and ash plume has been visible in satellite and radar data today. It is currently extending for about 10 to 15 miles to the southeast of the volcano at an approximate height of 15,000 to 20,000 ft above sea level.

"Additional significant explosive events with accompanying ash clouds, ash fall, and mudflows are possible and can occur with little or no warning."

That's life in Alaska, folks. Come on up - it's "funner" than it sounds, honest!

Tuesday - Election Day

Good morning! It's election day here - and in many States - as we decide on local direction, taxes, infrastructure maintenance and/or expansion, etc.

Many conservative voices here in Anchorage are calling for a "no" vote on all the ballot propositions except the property tax cap. I'm among them.

I know the "children-are-our-future-and-we-should-invest-in-them" argument - I have two teenagers living at home, one of whom is still in school - and I can't see giving any additional money to the local school district. They have a declining enrollment, and no matter how many millions of dollars per year they are given, continually show a loss. The superintendent is continuously crying poverty, and the news report - right before each election - show peeling paint or a stained ceiling tile, or some other easily reparable issue.

I can see no advantage gained by pouring more money into that particular black hole, all the while increasing the city's indebtedness (by way of bonds) and the taxpayers' burden.

* * * * *

The weather will be cloudy & near 40 today, while the winds above 40,000 feet bring more haze from Mt. Redoubt this way.

This picture was taken on Sunday, and published in today's Anchorage Daily News website.

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The volcano has been downgraded from active to watch status. The last time they did that was last Friday, right before the biggest eruption to date. It's quiet & in the dome-building phase again. "Katie, bar the door!"

That's about it for now. I hope you all have a great day - be blessed and happy!

Monday Morning - A New Week

Good morning! It's 17 degrees, with a light frost. AccuHunch Weather guesses we'll make it into the upper 30s today.

* * * * *

The Daily News has an article today about how Alaskans in southcentral are dealing with Mt. Redoubt and its on-going production of ash. Read it here.

The eruption on Saturday morning threw ash to its highest level yet, and produced the greatest amount of ash, so far. As I noted previously, the ash fall was spread generally to the southeast.

The volcano has been relatively quiet since Saturday, but the ash plume rising to about 15,000 feet continues.

* * * * *

Of course there's the mayoral election, tomorrow, along with a series of school bond issues & a proposal for a cap on property taxes. Neither Alaska nor Anchorage have any sales tax, which makes the property tax burden rather large. Several of the mayoral candidates have stated a preference for a sales tax, with varying relationships to the property tax.

A sales taxes have been proposed several times before, in the last 10 or 15 years, and the voters have rejected it each time.

* * * * *

There's not much else that's new to report. I'll see what type of fun-ness the day may generate, and keep an eye on the volcano.

Have a great day!

Sunday Morning Wrap-Up

It's been a strange & eventful week in southcentral Alaska.

Mt. Redoubt's eruption, yesterday, dumped one-quarter inch of the abrasive, corrosive ash on the southern Kenai Peninsula. Sounds like Homer got the worst of it; that's only 125 miles south of Anchorage, as the eagle flies, although it's a five-hour drive.

There are 15 (or is it 16) candidates for Mayor, in Tuesday's election.

There are 22 candidates competing for 4 school board seats.

There's the strange case of the machete-murderer who's blaming E.T. for commanding him to carry out multiple killings and shootings.

The U.S. Department of Justice moved to dismiss its own charges against former Alaska senator Ted Stevens, although the judge has yet to rule on the motion. While it would be a vindication of "Uncle" Ted, it's too late to do anything about him losing his seat after 40 years, in a very close election.

A black bear has been chasing - and in at least one case, treeing - people in Far North Bicentennial Park, here in Anchorage. The local bear expert from the Dept of Fish and Game is looking for the critter, but hasn't seen it yet.

* * * * *

On to other things: we're just another day or so shy of reaching 14 hours between sunrise & sunset. It was just dark enough to make walking difficult, at 10:00 last night. We're still gaining well over five minutes per day of daylight, and of course it's light long before and after the "official" times. In summer, here, the sun never goes that far away - it dips just below the horizon for about 90 minutes, in June, but the skies never really get dark.

One of the bigger concerns here is that the tourist season is looking a bit shaky, this year. Many of the charter companies (fishing, flight-seeing, whale-watching, sightseeing) are offering prices at half-off to locals, just to drum up a bit of business.

The Daily Noise is reporting that cruise line revenue is down about 40 percent for Alaska. That's not good.

South-east and south-central Alaska rely on tourism for a very large part of their revenues, each year. The impact on smaller retail outfits - stores, artisans, art galleries, souvenir shops, fishing charters, etc - will be devastating.

Long-time readers of this little blog will remember that I used to manage several buildings, including a retail mall in downtown Anchorage. The mall specialized in Alaskan-made merchandise, with nearly 20 mom-and-pop shops. Without tourists, they will not survive.

Summer here is only about 100 days long, and those shops must make the bulk of their annual sales during that time. If not, they won't make it through the upcoming winter. That's just the way it is.

On the one hand, I'm glad now to be out of the tourist-related business, with all of its ups and downs. I do miss working downtown, with its coffee shops, restaurants, sidewalk vendors, buskers, and multitude of colorful characters. On the other, my new job is much more stable, and less prone to economy-related downturns.

* * * * *

That's about it, for today. If the volcano blows again, or anything else of interest happens ... I'll be back!

Mt. Redoubt: Pictures from Homer, AK

These are from the Anchorage Daily News website, taken in Homer this morning after the 6 a.m. eruption. The 'nighttime' photo was taken between 8 and 8:30 this morning - 90 minutes AFTER sunrise - when it got as dark as night due to the ash fall.

Follow the link to see the article, and the many other pictures.