Alaska Volcano Eruption “Imminent”

Chris Jones — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:15:52 +0000

Residents in and around Anchorage, Alaska are stocking up on supplies and preparing for what scientists say is the imminent eruption of Mount Redoubt. The volcano last blew on Dec. 15, 1989 sending a cloud of ash more than 150 miles away. Unlike Hawaii’s volcanoes which typically create an orange river of lava that flows down the mountain, Alaska’s volcanoes tend to just explode and send an enormous ash cloud 30,000-50,000 ft. into the jet stream.

John Power who works at the Alaska Volcano Observatory says the ash is very dangerous to humans and can cause severe lung damage and blindness if precautions are not taken.

“It’s a very abrasive kind of rock fragment,” Power said. “It’s not the kind of ash that you find at the base of your wood stove.” The particulate has jagged edges and has been used as an industrial abrasive. “They use this to polish all kinds of metals,” he said. Particulate can injure skin, eyes and breathing passages. The young, the elderly and people with respiratory problems are especially susceptible. Put enough ash under a windshield wiper and it will scratch glass. It’s also potentially deadly for anyone flying in a jet. “Think of flying an airliner into a sandblaster,” Power said.

Power advises Alaskans to prepare as they would for a bad snowstorm: Keep flashlights, batteries and several days’ worth of food in the house, limit driving and prepare to hunker down if the worst of an ash cloud hits.

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Alaska Volcano Eruption “Imminent”

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