Bogoslof volcano in Alaska erupts briefly, spews ash cloud 34,000 feet

ABC Online
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 05:10 UTC

© Ann Harding – AVO/USGS

A view of Bogoslof Island in Alaska taken in 2009, with the eroded Castle Rock dome that erupted in 1796.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has issued its highest level of alert for aviation after what it says was a brief eruption of a volcano on the Aleutian Islands.

The observatory said pilots reported the Bogoslof volcano on Bogoslof Island erupted about 4:00pm Alaska time.

The Aleutian Islands are a chain of volcanic islands in the Bering Sea, belonging to both the United States and Russia.

The pilots told the observatory that a volcanic ash cloud rose to 34,000 feet.

A red alert was issued, which the observatory defines as a hazardous eruption being imminent, underway or suspected.

The observatory said that satellite data show a short-lived explosion just before 4:00pm local time that drifted to the south about 15 minutes later.

The observatory said a subsequent pilot report at 4:50pm local time said the volcanic activity had decreased.

Source: AP

Comment: The last recorded eruption of Bogoslof was in 1992. The Aleutian Islands, with their 57 volcanoes, are in the northern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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