Volcano update

Redoubt rumblings continue as Red Cross issues advisory

By GEORGE BRYSON
gbryson@adn.com

Published: January 28th, 2009 02:49 PM
Last Modified: January 28th, 2009 02:49 PM

Seismic unrest at Mount Redoubt continued today, and government geologists are still watching the volcano full-time, anticipating a possible eruption "within days.


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"Seismicity has remained at a relatively constant level for the past 24 hours and is still well above background (levels)," the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported at midday.




Crews that flew to the mountain Tuesday detected muddy discharges from the Drift River glacier directly below the summit crater. A typical Redoubt eruption is characterized by a large explosion that can shoot an ash cloud 40,000 feet high, the observatory noted.




Located about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Mount Redoubt last erupted between December 1989 and April 1990. Its ash plume then disrupted international air traffic and coated Anchorage in a thin layer of volcanic dust.




On Tuesday, engineers repaired a volcano webcam about six miles northwest of Redoubt's summit.


Live photographs of the volcano -- shrouded in clouds today -- can now be seen on the observatory Web site (adn. com/volcano). The site also posts volcano status updates.




On Wednesday, the American Red Cross of Alaska posted information on its own Web site (alaska. redcross. org) advising Alaskans on precautionary steps to take prior to a volcanic eruption, including the creation of a family disaster plan and assembling a disaster supply kit.