Long-grumbling Alaska volcano has explosive ash burst

Source: Reuters

Long-grumbling Alaska volcano has explosive ash burst

By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:39pm EDT

(Reuters) - A remote Aleutian volcano that has been restless for the past year rumbled to life on Tuesday, shooting a thin cloud of ash several miles into the sky, which could pose a slight hazard to aircraft, Alaska scientists said.

Cleveland Volcano, a 5,676-foot (1,730 meter) peak on an uninhabited island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage, had an explosive eruption at about 2:05 p.m. local time, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.

A pilot flying in the area estimated that the ash cloud rose to 35,000 feet above sea level, reported the observatory, which is a joint federal-state organization that monitors Alaska's numerous active volcanoes.

However, satellite imagery shows only a weak ash signal, suggesting a thin cloud that dissipated quickly, said Stephanie Prejean, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist at the observatory in Anchorage

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-alaska-volcano-idUSBRE85J02K20120620