Twenty Years Dormant, Alaska's Augustine Volcano Blasts Off

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, January 12, 2006 (ENS) - The Augustine Volcano in Alaska erupted early this morning for the first time since 1986 with two explosions at the summit that sent an ash plume more than five miles high. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the alert level was classified at red, the highest level of concern, but downgraded the alert to orange later this morning.

Located in Cook Inlet, about 180 miles southwest of Anchorage, the Augustine started erupting at 4:44 am local time after becoming increasingly active over the past nine months.

Views of the summit following these explosions revealed new steaming cracks and localized deposits of debris.

In addition, airborne gas measurements and thermal imaging measurements showed an increase in the output of volcanic gas and heat at the summit of the volcano.

The highest temperature recorded, on January 4, was 390 degrees Celsius (750 Fahrenheit). The Alaska Volcano Observatory interpreted these changes as a sign that new magma was accumulating beneath the volcano’s summit.

Augustine volcano as seen from the west on January 12, 2006 (Photo by Game McGimsey courtesy USGS)

Falling ash can turn daylight into darkness. Accompanied by rain and lightning, the gritty ash can lead to power outages, prevent communications, and disorient people.

Ash can clog water systems, sewage plants, and all kinds of machinery.Fine ash is extremely slippery, hampering driving and walking. Ash can also damage the lungs of small infants, elderly, and people with respiratory problems.

The USGS expects this eruption may be similar to Augustine’s eruptions in 1976 and 1986 when the volcanic ash was spread throughout and perhaps beyond Cook Inlet.

At the moment, USGS scientists say the ash plume has detached from the volcanic vent, and winds are blowing the ash away from populated areas, but they warn that this status can change at any time.

It is possible that an explosive eruption could occur with little or no warning, the observatory said

"Augustine Volcano is one of the best instrumented volcanoes in Alaska," said USGS Volcano Hazards Program Coordinator Dr. James Quick. "As a result, our scientists were able to detect unrest and correctly forecast the likely behavior of the volcano before it erupted."

Since spring 2005, scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) have detected increasing unrest at Augustine Volcano.

Rates of earthquake occurrence increased slowly from an average rate of one to two per day in early May, to three to four per day in October, and up to 15 per day in mid-December.

Concurrent with this increase, USGS detected a small uplift of the volcano using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) instruments permanently installed on the mountain. In early and mid-December, a number of small steam explosions were recorded by seismic instruments on the volcano.

In response to this activity, AVO scientists deployed additional seismometers, GPS receivers, an infrasound sensor, and time lapse cameras on the flanks of the volcano, and established a web-based camera system. Further deployment of additional monitoring equipment is ongoing and USGS will continue to monitor the activity closely.

For up-to-date information on the status of Alaska’s volcanoes, call 907-786-7478.

Further information on Augustine Volcano and related hazards and response plans can be found online at: www.avo.alaska.edu

Ash-related information at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/

NOAA and National Weather Service ash cloud trajectories and aviation warnings at http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/augustine.php

Tsunami issues related to Augustine at http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/Augustine/AugustineWeb.htm

Community preparedness at http://www.ak-prepared.com/plans/mitigation/volcano.htm