The National Weather Service has issued a renewed warning for aircraft passing by a volcano that erupted in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —
An eruption at a volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has intensified and the National Weather Service has renewed a warning for passing aircraft.
Shishaldin Volcano erupted at 5 a.m. Tuesday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced, and sent up an ash cloud to 23,000 feet (7,010 meters).
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the observatory announced the eruption had continued and the ash cloud had reached 27,000 feet (8,230 meters).
Wind continued to push the cloud northeast into the eastern Bering Sea and away from jet airliners flying between North America and Asia.
The eruption was confirmed by lighting and satellite data, the observatory said. More explosions could occur or activity could significantly decrease with little warning, according to the observatory.
The observatory first detected increased seismic activity at the volcano. When clouds parted later Tuesday morning, a satellite recorded images of an ash cloud to 23,000 feet (7,010 meters).
The satellite image showed a plume that led back to the volcano vent, U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Hans Schwaiger said. That indicated a continued eruption, he said.
Elevated surface temperatures indicated active lava at the vent in the volcano summit, the observatory said.
Volcanic ash is angular and sharp and has been used as an industrial abrasive. The powdered rock can cause a jet engine to shut down.
The volcano is 679 miles (1,093 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage near the center of Unimak Island, the largest island in the Aleutians. False Pass, a village of 40 people, is on the island’s east side. Unless winds change, the cloud would move north of False Pass and would not pose a threat, Schwaiger said.
Shishaldin also erupted Dec. 12, producing an ash cloud that reached up to 25,000 feet (7,620 kilometers), and on Friday, sending an ash cloud to about 24,000 feet, (7,315 meters).
The volcano is a symmetrical cone that is 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter at its base. It rises to 9,373 feet (2,857 meters) and is the highest peak in the Aleutians.
Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc, with at least 54 episodes of unrest including more than 24 confirmed eruptions since 1775, according to the observatory.
Most eruptions are small. An event in 1999 spewed an ash column that reached 45,000 feet (13,716 meters).
The volcano is monitored with seismic and infrasound sensors, satellite data, a web camera and and distant infrasound and lightning networks.