Monitoring the Eruption from Space and the Ground

Well, it sure is a good thing that we monitor volcanoes, isn’t it?  Redoubt volcano in Alaska just continues to send ash into the air, and is triggering floods and ash flows downslope.  Luckily, since there was ample warning from the monitoring network, the folks in the region had a chance to prepare.  But, even with preparation, the damage done by ashfall is pretty bad.

Monitoring stations on the ground and in space are showing pretty clear images of just how impressive this ash-eruption is. This view from space shows us that volcanoes are easily visible from space.  Heck, we’ve seen volcanoes on Io using spacecraft, so why not eruptions on our own planet? Seems like a perfectly good expenditure, particularly considering that it saves lives and teaches us more about our own planet.  This is particularly true of the Alaskan volcanoes, which are all located along a curved line called the Aleutian Arc, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire active region. These volcanoes are fired up in large part because there are active deep-ocean trenches and volcanic belts associated with plate movements.

The action heats up Earth’s crust in these regions; the heat has to go somewhere, and so it melts rock and powers the volcanoes. If you look at a map of the Ring of Fire, you’ll see that it extends all the way down the coasts of North and South America, as well as along the eastern part of the Pacific Rim.  And, there are lots of volcanoes along that arc — some active today, some quiescent but potentially dangerous in the future.

These regions also happen to be extremely well-populated. Some of Earth’s largest cities, richest fishing areas, and agricultural regions are also along the ring.

So, knowing the signs of incipient volcanic eruptions and the damage they can do is pretty important to a lot of people. Their lives — and ours, if we depend on their agriculture and fisheries — depend on being able to avoid and survive volcanic eruptions like the one we’re seeing happen at Redoubt now.

The views of Redoubt (aka “Jindal’s Bane”) from the ground continue to flow in from a Hut web cam that is running pretty much on battery power. Seismic monitors are giving a constant flow of data about ground movements, and I read earlier today that pilots were reporting visual confirmation of the ash cloud towering some 65,000 feet (that’s almost 20 kilometers) above sea level.

Today the volcano had one large eruption at 9:24 a.m. Alaska time. Volcanic tremors are increasing, which means there is movement of something below the surface. How it will all play out is anybody’s guess at this point.

If you’d like to continue getting news about Redoubt and other Alaskan volcanoes, check out the Alaska Volcano Observatory pages. You’ll find updates and a pretty amazing (and ever-growing) gallery of images.  This is science news we can use and appreciate!