Scientists have raised an aviation alert level around a remote Alaskan volcano after a small eruption produced an ash cloud several miles high.
Cleveland Volcano, on the Aleutian Islands southwest of mainland Alaska, erupted briefly Tuesday afternoon, creating an ash cloud at an estimated height of 23,000 feet above sea level, said Steve McNutt, a volcano seismologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The observatory on Tuesday raised its color-coded alert for aviators to orange, the second most serious of four levels, and warned on its website that "additional sudden explosions of blocks and ash are possible with little or no warning."
No activity was detected Wednesday, but the alert remained at orange, the observatory said.
A more serious eruption, especially one that spews ash above 30,000 feet, could affect air travel. McNutt said the vast majority of air freight between Asia and North America and between Asia and Europe flies over Alaskan airspace. Also, passenger flights take about 20,000 passengers over Alaskan airspace daily, he said.
Tuesday's cloud appeared to dissipate after about two hours, McNutt said, citing satellite images.
The volcano makes up the western half of uninhabited Chuginadak Island, part of the Aleutian Island chain in the Bering Sea. It is about 45 miles west of Nikolski and 940 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The alert level has bounced between orange and the lower step, yellow, several times in the past year. The observatory last issued an orange alert in late March, when satellite images showed a lava dome had formed in the summit crater.
The volcano's most recent significant eruption happened in February 2001, with three explosions that led to ash clouds as high as 7.5 miles above sea level, according to the observatory. The volcano's elevation is 5,676 feet.
Last year, volcanic ash from Iceland's Grimsvotn Volcano forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights across Europe.
The Grimsvotn eruption came about 13 months after Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano put ash and smoke into the sky, forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights per day during the peak of the problem.
See observatory's Cleveland Volcano webcam
– CNN's Jason Hanna and Darrell Calhoun contributed to this report.
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I hope it takes out the Palin compound. Hahahahahahaha
Sorry to disappoint you but the volcano is several hundred miles away from the Palin home in Wasilla.
(Although, the volcano is a hundred or so miles closer to the Palins than Russia.)
ha ha ha ha, yea that would be good!!
I can see Russia!
Bahahahahahaha, good one Fred!
I fail to see that rationale of using humor Greek American, regarding an Alaskan volcano and "taking out" a true patriots home.
True patriots don't quit their office when the going gets a little rough, now do they? Palin has nothing more than a big mouth that spews vitriol and a small following on conservative zombies – that, my friend, does NOT make a person a "Patriot."
TIme for someone to wake up Bobby Jindal and ask him if volcano monitoring is still a waste of money. I worked the Asiatic rush at Anchorage ATC and know that every last one of those planes will drop out of the sky if they hit ash. The pilot and crew of KLM867 screamed for 20000 feet until they got 2 engines restarted. Barely avoided smearing themselves in the Chugach. You never forget that. So Palin jokes (redundant, I know) aside, this is pretty serious...
Somebody should toss Palin into the volcano to placate the Fire God.
Oh sorry... I thought I clicked on the Palin bar fight story.
I wonder how big this really is? I'm going to go see how big the magma chamber is estimated at. If this is big we could see some fireworks up there. This area is full of explosive volcanoes and some are huge.
You have to admit she pretty much screams to be made fun of right??? I mean come on now! Talk about calling people names! really??? what do you think that you just did for goodness sake!
You must be quite a low life, no self-esteem female to diss a very accomplished woman like Sarah Palin. Nothing
I late more than a stupid woman.
Amos: A volcano just blowed up in Alaska, Andy!
Andy: Do Tell ! Any word on Ms. Palin ? I mean, she okay, Amos?
Amos: She fine Andy! The volcano blew up... not her.
Andy: It's a wonder, it wasn't her...getting steaming mad...ways people talk about her !
Amos: That the truths, Andy. That's the truth...
I am the definition of anti-Politically-Correct and I enjoyed the old Amos & Andy radio shows but even I find your comment racially insensitive.
Are you just shock posting again or reporting facts?
Oops, sorry for the double post... it took forever for the first post
Guess they're checking the facts.
Use your brain before posting something that appears factual and could spread mass hysteria without knowing if it indeed true.
Brain?
What you have none of your own?
Google earthquake today and find the seismic activity in the last seven days.
(I'm not just a pretty face)
LOL... now it mentions it in the artical...
Caught ya!
@Hope:
Hope's personal monitor...
Boy, you'd better get legs...
Chow!
To bad there isn't an active volcano in Washington D.C.
Great, but what is going on with Popocotyl? It had a similar alert level and now there are no articles on it. Is it better now?