More Than Just Mount Spurr Ready to Rumble by Mitch Battros – ECTV Solar Forecast Report: Solar activity has been quite over the weekend. Today’s sunspot count is at 40 coming from only two sunspot regions 655 and 654. However, what is coming from the far side of the Sun has those of us who monitor space weather very nervous. There looks to be a sunspot region every bit as large of 654 which had caused last weeks warning alert to DoD, communication satellites, and power grid personnel. Compare the far side images with what is facing Earth. This will give you the perspective of what is to come over the next 3 to 5 days. Far Side Images: or here: http://soi.stanford.edu/data/farside/recent.html ______________________________________ Volcano’s Coming Alive Use this color code key to measure the level of activity for volcanoes. GREEN volcano is dormant; normal seismicity and fumarolic activity occurring YELLOW volcano is restless; eruption may occur ORANGE volcano is in eruption or eruption may occur at any time RED significant eruption is occurring or explosive eruption expected at any time MOUNT SPURR VOLCANO (CAVW#1103-04) 61°18' N 152°15' W, Summit Elevation 11,070 ft (3,374 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: YELLOW Elevated levels of seismicity continue to be recorded at Mount Spurr volcano. Approximately 10-20 earthquakes have been recorded daily beneath the summit of Mount Spurr. This level of activity has remained at a constant rate for the last several weeks. Although this represents a notable increase over background seismicity levels, there are no indications that an eruption is imminent. Often this type of seismicity will decline without producing an eruption. Spurr volcano is an ice- and snow-covered stratovolcano located on the west side of Cook Inlet. The only historical eruptions in 1953 and 1992 occurred at the Crater Peak flank vent located 3.5 km (2 mi) south of the Spurr summit. These eruptions were explosive, brief in duration, and produced towering columns of ash that rose up to 20 km (65,000 ft) above sea level and deposited several mm of ash on populated areas of south-central Alaska, including approximately 6 mm of ash in Anchorage in 1953. The summit dome complex of Mount Spurr is largely covered in ice; its last known eruption was approximately 5,000 years ago. Primary hazards from future eruptions at Mount Spurr and Crater Peak include far-traveled ash clouds, ash fall, pyroclastic flows, and lahars or mudflows that could impact drainages primarily on the south and east sides of the volcano. MOUNT VENIAMINOF VOLCANO (CAVW #1102-07) 56°10'N 159°23'W, Summit Cone Elevation 7,073 ft (2,156 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: YELLOW Episodes of volcanic tremor continue intermittently at Mount Veniaminof Volcano. No visual observations of ash emissions have been made since July 22, although the observed seismicity is similar to that observed coincident with ash emissions in the past few months. Most such emissions do not reach 10,000 ft. above sea level, though a few have been reported to reach as high as 12,000 ft. Satellite and web camera views of the volcano were obscured by clouds throughout the week. Activity at Veniaminof could become more vigorous without warning, and continuing steam and ash emissions do pose a hazard to people and low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the caldera. AVO will continue to monitor activity at Veniaminof using seismic data, satellite images, internet camera data and observer reports. Mount Veniaminof volcano is a young stratovolcano with an ice-filled 10-km (6 mi) diameter summit caldera located on the Alaska Peninsula, 775 km (480 mi) southwest of Anchorage and 35 km (22 mi) north of Perryville. Veniaminof is one of the largest and most active volcanic centers in the Aleutian Arc and has erupted at least 12 times in the past 200 years. The most recent significant eruption of the volcano occurred in 1993-95 and was characterized by intermittent. low-level emissions of steam and ash, and a small lava flow onto the summit caldera ice field producing an ice pit. Previous historical eruptions have produced ash plumes that reached 6,000 m (20,000 ft) above sea level and associated ash fall within about 40 km (25 mi) of the volcano. Minor ash emissions similar to those occuring at present were also detected in late 2002. SHISHALDIN VOLCANO (CAVW #1101-36) 54°45'N 163°58'W, Summit Cone Elevation 9,373 ft (2,857 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: YELLOW Low-level seismic tremor continues to be recorded at Shishaldin Volcano. This level of activity is similar to that observed over the past several months. On July 24 an AVO field crew observed vigorous steaming at the summit and what may be ash deposits on the upper slopes. During clear satellite views of the volcano this week, no unusual activity was noted. We see nothing at this time to indicate that more vigorous activity is imminent. However, activity at Shishaldin could increase rapidly and ash and gas emissions may pose a hazard to people and low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the summit. AVO will continue to monitor activity at Shishaldin Volcano using seismic data, satellite images, and observer reports. Shishaldin Volcano, located near the center of Unimak Island in the eastern Aleutian Islands, is a spectacular symmetric cone with base diameter of approximately 10 miles (16 km). A small summit crater typically emits a noticeable steam plume with occasional small amounts of ash. Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc, erupting at least 28 times since 1775. Most of Shishaldin's eruptions have consisted of small ash and steam plumes, although the most recent eruption in April-May 1999 produced an ash column that reached a height of 45,000 ft above sea level. OTHER ALASKA VOLCANOES Seismic activity is monitored in real time at 27 volcanoes in Alaska. Satellite images of all Alaskan volcanoes are analyzed daily for evidence of ash plumes and elevated surface temperatures. Some volcanoes may currently display anomalous behavior but are not considered to be at a dangerous level of unrest. Wrangell, Redoubt, Iliamna, Augustine, Snowy, Griggs, Katmai, Novarupta, Trident, Mageik, Martin, Aniakchak, Pavlof, Dutton, Isanotski, Fisher, Westdahl, Akutan, Makushin, Okmok, Great Sitkin, Kanaga, Tanaga, and Gareloi volcanoes are in color code GREEN. All are at or near normal levels of background seismicity. AVO did not detect ash plumes or significant elevated surface temperatures in the vicinity of any volcano. Subscribe To ECTV For Full Access: http://www.earthchangestv.com/subscribe.php Receive Your "Free" ECTV Newsletter: http://www.earthchangestv.com/newsletter.php About Mitch: http://www.earthchangestv.com/aboutmitch.php Survival Tips: http://www.earthchangestv.com/survival/index.php Mitch Battros Producer – Earth Changes TV http://www.earthchangestv.com |
