Mount Redoubt - March 31st

Henry pointed this one out to me on his computer . . . amazing to me.


Photographer: Game McGimsey courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory/US Geological Survey
March 31, 2009 View east of the summit crater Mt. Redoubt covered with deposits from recent eruptions.

To see more images: Alaska Volcano Observatory

Mount Redoubt - more photos

On one level, I wish I could be in Alaska right now. I'd want to be on the opposite side of Cook Inlet so I could get a chance to get some of these amazing lighting shots. In my more "right mind," I know that people who study and photograph volcanoes have inherently dangerous jobs and there have been fatalities over the years. So it is probably just as well that I'm still home in Texas and I can enjoy the photographs of this volcano from the safety of my home. But we've driven that road from Anchorage to Homer . . . I can picture this in my mind's eye . . .

Since watching nature's forces is amazing and very interesting to me, I've been watching the images coming from the Alaska Volcano Observatory regularly this week. There are 17 pages of images so far.

On March 28, Bretwood Higman captured an amazing series of lighting shots in the ash cloud:




Today's images from the Alaska Volcano Observatory Webcame are beautiful as well:





It will be interesting to see how long this eruptive phase lasts.

Alaska's Mount Redoubt - more images

The Alaska Volcano Observatory and the US Geological Survey continue to post new images of the current eruptive phase of Mount Redoubt.

My favorites:

Mount Redoubt's ash cloud Thursday March 26, 2009
Credit: Robert Cole and Peninsula Airways



Lower reach oif Crescent Glacier and view down the ash-covered Crescent River Valley - March 26, 2009 Credit: McGimsey, Game and the Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey




View northeast over the piedmont lobe of the Drift Glacier and down the Drift River valley showing the effects of the flooding caused by Mt. Redoubt's eruptions. March 26, 2009 Credit: McGimsey,Game, Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey




Ash cloud seen in the geostationary MTSAT data, courtesy of National Weather Service, processed by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From the extreme edge of the view for the satellite which is over the equator in Asia. Image Creator Dehn, Jonathan. Taken March 26, 2009 17:30 UTC


Our planet, earth, is truly amazing. When you get a chance to see these natural processes at work, it is truly humbling. We can only study things like hurricanes and volcanoes. We can't control when they happen, where they happen, how strong they are, or what kind of disruption they cause to their surroundings. Nature is always in a state of change, never static. As Ecclesiastes says:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . . a time to tear down and a time to build . . ."

We have natural process that on the surface appear to tear down - wildfire, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes . . . In reality they are just changes. All of these things create change on our earth, but also prepare the way for new and beautiful things. Everything is cyclical . . . It is fascinating to watch nature at work at Mount Redoubt.

Mount Redoubt March 26

These images are posted at the Alaska Volcano Observatory Site:


The ash cloud from Mount Redoubt approaching Homer taken by Dennis Anderson on March 26 at 12:39 AKDT



Ashcloud moving over and ashfall occuring at Homestead Lodge 35 miles south of Mount Redoubt on March 26, 2009. Photo taken by James and Sheila Isaak.


Mount Redoubt's Eruption Plume taken from Diamond Ridge near Homer on March 26, 2009 by Dennis Anderson



These last two images were taken this afternoon (March 26) from the Mount Redoubt Hut webcam. You can check this cam regularly during daylight hours to get a view of what is happening now. The camera is battery powered, so there can be outages.





For more information (and the latest information as well) go to the Alaska Volcano Observatory-Mount Redoubt.

The Los Angeles Times also has a good article about todays eruption noting that there has been a mudflow down the Drift River. There were flash flood warnings out for the Drift River because of the rapidly melting ice.


The Internet Newspaper, The Huffington Post, also has an article about today's eruptions.

Alaska's Mount Redoubt Update

RSAM stands for Real-time Seismic Amplitude Measurement. It summarizes seismic activity during heightened volcanic activity. RSAM calculates and stores the average amplitude of ground shaking caused by earthquakes and volcanic tremor over 10-minute intervals. RSAM values increase as tremor amplitude or the rate of occurrences and the size of earthquakes increase. Because it tallies all the signals from all the events during the 10-minute interval, it provides a simplified measure of the overall level of seismic activity. (From the Alaska Volcano Observatory's site AVO)





This is today's posted chart of RSAM from AVO. While I'm no volcanologist, it is easy to see that there is some sustained vibrations that are well above the activity from earlier in the week. I wish that I had saved some of these charts from the last week or so, because I think it would be interesting to compare the changes.

Other reports from the AVO twitter, there has been a steam plume, but no actual eruption.

I suspect for the scientists who are studying this volcano, it is a little like waiting for the arrival of a baby. You know it's coming, you just don't know when. And for a volcano, you may know that something is getting ready to happen, but right now I don't think we have any way to know in advance what level the eruption is going to be or how long it will last. But it must be very interesting to be a volcanologist in Alaska right now.

Mount Redoubt -Alaska Volcano Observatory Report

From the Alaska Volcano Observatory's January 29th report
Their site is getting a lot of hits such that they are having a hard time staying up.

Redoubt Volcano
60°29'7" N 152°44'38" W, Summit Elevation 10197 ft (3108 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Currently we have no indication that an eruption of Redoubt has occurred or is occurring.

Unrest at Redoubt Volcano continues. Seismicity has remained at a relatively constant level for the past 24 hours, and is still well above background.

Staff are currently monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day. We will issue further information as it becomes available.