International Air Travel Could Be Disrupted If The Volcano Creates An Ash Cloud

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is reporting on its website that renewed eruptive activity of Cleveland Volcano has been observed in satellite data, and AVO is raising the Aviation Color Code to Orange and the Alert Level to Watch. A new lava dome has been observed in the summit crater, and as of 30 January 2012 was approximately 130 feet in diameter. There have been no observations of ash emissions or explosive activity during this current lava eruption.

The lava dome that formed throughout the fall-winter of 2011 was largely removed by the explosive activity on 25 and 29 December, 2011. It remains possible for intermittent, sudden explosions of blocks and ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop. Such explosions and their associated ash clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours. If a large, explosive, ash-producing event occurs, seismic, infrasound, or volcanic lightning may be detected by local and regional monitoring networks. There is no real-time seismic monitoring network on Mount Cleveland.

Cleveland volcano forms the western half of Chuginadak Island, a remote and uninhabited island in the east central Aleutians. It is located about 45 miles west of the community of Nikolski, and 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. The volcano's most recent significant eruption began in February, 2001 and it produced 3 explosive events that produced ash clouds as high as FL390. The 2001 eruption also produced a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea.

CNN reports that, according to University of Alaska scientist Steve McNutt, about 90 percent of the air freight from Asia to Europe and North America pass through the potentially affected airspace, as do passenger flights carrying about 20,000 people each day. He said an eruption could cause those flights to be re-routed, or cancelled. (Image provided by the Alaska Volcano Observatory)

FMI: www.avo.alaska.edu/