Alaska Volcano: She's Gonna Blow!
Scientists predict Mt. Redoubt could erupt within the next few days or weeks
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Somebody call renowned vulcanologist Pierce Brosnan: Scientists at the the Alaska Volcano Observatory say Mount Redoubt, a volcano about 100 miles southeast of Anchorage, could erupt any day now. Or any week now. Well, soon. Probably.
“We don’t have a crystal ball,” said Peter Cervelli, a research geophysicist with the observatory. But “we expect based on the past behavior of this volcano that this activity is going to culminate in an eruption.”
The 10,197-foot peak last blew its top in 1989 and kept spewing ash for five months, which blanketed the nearby town of Kenai, disrupted air traffic, and caused one jet’s engines to fail. Lahars (volcanic mudflows) poured down the mountain into the Drift river. Scientists expect similar conditions if Redoubt re-explodes.
Researchers remain on high alert, and will continue to “aggressively” monitor the volcano, looking for signs of increased volcanic tremors and gas dispersal with web cams set near the mountain. In the meantime, we suggest you watch this video of one of the most explosive eruptions ever caught on camera:
—Ted Alvarez