ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A volcano on a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain has simmered down after erupting and prompting an aviation alert.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Friday the Bogoslof volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air in its eighth explosion detected since Dec. 16.

The latest eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert for aircraft, but the Federal Aviation Administration says the eruption has had no effect on flight operations.

Observatory geologist Chris Waythomas says the volcano has quieted down, but the alert remains in place.

He says most of the volcano’s vent is underwater, which adds steam to ash plumes when magma is dislodged.

The volcano began erupting shortly before midnight Thursday. It is located on an island in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage. </s> For the third time this week, a volcano on Alaska’s Bogoslof Island has erupted, sending yet another ash plume into the air. Bogoslof is located in the Aleutian Islands, a chain of mostly volcanic islands in the Bering Sea.

Volcano erupts for third time on Bogoslof Island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain

As reported by Alaska Dispatch News, the third eruption took place on the morning of Friday, December 23. The aviation color code has since been raised to red by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, with its status being updated to “warning” after reviewing reports that Bogoslof Island had experienced a short eruption defined as explosive. The volcano sits around 60 miles west of Unalaska, the largest city of the Aleutian Islands.

The eruption was reported to have lasted for just over an hour, according to VolcanoDiscovery. No visual observations have yet been recorded as the sky was quite cloudy at the time of the Bogoslof Island eruption, with the plume not having reached the regional cloud deck of 30,000 feet.

Lava and fragmental material were ejected from the volcano, with ash emission subsiding at around 10:37 a.m. Alaskan time, this according to the coast guard. The attempts of volcanologists to receive signals from monitoring stations near Bogoslof Island were interrupted due to a major storm in the area, the structure of which was already radically altered due to the first two storms. The island itself has changed dramatically in shape since its first cartographical record, which was in the 1700s. These changes are due not only to frequent eruptive activity, but also energetic wave action, according to KCUB.

Alaska communities have been assured that no ash will make its way into the state’s mainland, as forecast winds are expected to carry it over water into the northeast. A volcanic ash cloud forecast was nevertheless issued by The National Weather Service, with the area of concern located west of the Nunivak Islands. The NWS’s aviation desk, based in Anchorage, has been tracking weather issues related to Bogoslof Island since its first eruption on Wednesday, December 21. A major characteristic of this is said to be dozens of lightning strikes, which Alaska Volcano Observatory geophysicist John Lyons says are still being monitored very closely.

Michael Kutz, a NWS meteorologist based in Anchorage, announced that a single system is expected to be formed by three low-pressure systems in the Aleutian Islands come Sunday afternoon, Christmas Day. Stormy conditions, he continues, are the majority of the reason why ash from the volcano on Bogoslof Island has and will not land on the mainland of Alaska post-eruption.

By Lorelai Zelmerlow

Share On </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A volcano on a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain has erupted again, prompting an aviation alert.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the Bogoslof (BOH-goh-slawf) volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air by early Friday morning.

The eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert level for aircraft.

During an eruption of the volcano last week, the Federal Aviation Administration said flights were rerouted around the plume.

The center says the volcano began erupting shortly before midnight Thursday and its activity was recorded by seismic data and in satellite images.

The volcano is located on an island of the same name in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage. </s> A satellite image shows an ash cloud from Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutians shortly after its 1:20 p.m. eruption Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. Another eruption of Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutian Islands sent an ash cloud east over the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island on Wednesday, disrupting aviation in the region and producing the potential for land-based ashfall.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Anchorage Daily News. </s> Another eruption of Bogoslof volcano in the Aleutian Islands sent an ash cloud east over the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island on Wednesday, disrupting aviation in the region but producing no signs of ashfall on land.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Bogoslof, on a tiny island about 60 miles west of Unalaska, erupted twice at about 1:20 p.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday. The first, stronger eruption produced a high-level ash cloud.

"Pilots reported the cloud reached a height greater than 31,000 ft (above sea level), and prevailing winds carried it northeast over the Bering Sea," AVO staff said. "This eruption also produced lightning strikes, and infrasound signals detected by sensors in Sand Point and Dillingham."

Unalaska police and Kodiak fire dispatchers said they had no local reports of ashfall overnight Wednesday, and neither the observatory nor the National Weather Service had any reports of ash falling on land by Thursday afternoon.

A satellite image taken after the first eruption showed an ash cloud just northeast of Bogoslof that AVO said was "darker in color, and presumably more ash-rich, than others we have seen in the eruptive sequence" that began in mid-December.

"This image also suggests the presence of very hot material (lava) at the surface immediately surrounding the vent — the first such observation during this eruption sequence," AVO staff wrote.

Chris Waythomas, a geologist at the observatory, said previous Bogoslof eruptions over the past month occurred underwater and sent up clouds of steam. A lot of the ash from those blasts was frozen into ice crystals and quickly became undetectable, but much more ash was visible in Wednesday's main eruption.

"Soon afterward we could see elevated temperatures at Bogoslof in satellite data — for that to happen you have to have lava right at the surface," Waythomas said. "That was only in one image, and in subsequent images we didn't see the thermal signal."

After the eruptions, the volcano's aviation color code had been raised to red and its alert level to warning — AVO's highest indicators of potential activity — but they were lowered to orange and watch on Thursday afternoon. Waythomas said seismic data from the volcano has been "pretty quiet" since the Wednesday eruptions.

Waythomas said violent interactions between magma and seawater may have removed any materials, such as lava plugs formed during eruptions in 1883 and 1992, that broke the sea's surface during the blasts.

"It's possible that a plug of lava is close or at the surface, but may have been destroyed by the effects of the eruption or collapsed into the vent," Waythomas said. "We're kind of expecting to see that, eventually: a vent of lava extruded."

Robert Easton, an aviation forecaster with the National Weather Service's Alaska Aviation Weather Unit in Anchorage, said the unit issued an advisory to aviators tracking the cloud's location overnight Wednesday but canceled it Thursday morning because the ash was no longer appearing on radar.

"It has been affecting flights all (Wednesday) night," Easton said. "At least three or four were affected at the minimum."

Dave Barber, also at the weather unit, said forecasters were able to track pilots diverting around the ash cloud while the advisory was in effect.

"We could see on plots of aircraft flight locations that they were avoiding the area, fortunately," Barber said.

Tom Winn, with the operations staff at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, said air traffic controllers didn't have any word of canceled flights due to the ash cloud. Pilots may have chosen to divert their flight paths, however.

"There's been no impact at the airport as far as I'm aware of," Winn said. </s> Close

A sudden eruption of an isolated volcano in Alaska has led to a series of warnings and alerts in the region. Although the event seems to be a rather isolated one, the area continues to be closely monitored to avoid any problems a new eruption might create.

On Dec. 20, several airplane pilots reported an eruption on the small island called Bogoslof, which is along the Aleutian Islands chain. The event surprised everyone, as there was no indication that a new eruption was about to take place.

A Lucky Circumstance

Luckily, the island is quite isolated and the eruption itself had no effect on the lives of the local population, as only around 4,300 people live within 62 miles (100 kilometers) from the volcano.

Nevertheless, the eruption should not be treated lightly. The ashes of the short-lived event reached up 6 miles (10 kilometers) in the sky. The volcano itself is not exactly a small one, as it rises 4,900 feet (about 1,500 meters) above the seabed, more than 900 feet (about 300 meters) of which are above the water.

Even if no inhabitant of the area is directly jeopardized by such an eruption, not the same could be said about those flying above the Aleutians.

In fact, the area is rather well-known for the intense air traffic, especially when it comes to routes that tie America to Asia. Acknowledging these risks, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced a red alert in the region and was further passed on to air traffic controllers and airlines.

The observatory does not have equipment on the island, but that did not prevent it from closely monitoring the activity of the volcano. The lack of activity observed after the eruption led to the decision of reducing the level of the alert to orange. The area continues to be monitored by the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

"We will monitor satellite images and data from distant seismic and infrasound instruments for indications of significant explosive activity," noted the observatory.

An Expected Eruption

The Bogoslof Volcano has erupted several times in the past, about six times since the end of the 18th century. The last known eruption took place in 1992. Some of these phenomena were quite impressive, the lava from the eruption led to the creation of several small islands, which were later covered by the sea.

The visible top of the volcano was also created through the same phenomenon, and scientists wonder whether the process is about the start again. However, according to the data covered so far, it seems unlikely for another eruption to happen very soon.

ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. </s> The Latest on the eruption of a volcano in Alaska (all times local):

A volcano on a remote island in Alaska's Aleutian chain has simmered down after erupting and prompting an aviation alert.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Friday the Bogoslof (BOH-goh-slawf) volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air in its eighth explosion detected since Dec. 16.

The latest eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert for aircraft, but the Federal Aviation Administration says the eruption has had no effect on flight operations.

Observatory geologist Chris Waythomas says the volcano has quieted down, but the alert remains in place.

He says most of the volcano's vent is underwater, which adds steam to ash plumes when magna is dislodged.

The volcano began erupting shortly before midnight Thursday. It is located on an island in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage.

A volcano on a remote island in Alaska's Aleutian chain has erupted again, prompting an aviation alert.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the Bogoslof (BOH-goh-slawf) volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air by early Friday morning.

The eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert level for aircraft.

During an eruption of the volcano last week, the Federal Aviation Administration said flights were rerouted around the plume.

The center says the volcano began erupting shortly before midnight Thursday and its activity was recorded by seismic data and in satellite images.

The volcano is located on an island of the same name in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage. </s> Seismic unrest continues at Bogoslof volcano. Scientists are watching the eruption around the clock — even though monitoring stations are far from the site.

Listen Now

Chris Waythomas, of the U.S. Geological Survey, is observing a particular indication of increased seismic activity: volcanic tremors.

“You can think of it as the sort of signal you might get if you were to seismically monitor an organ pipe,” Waythomas said. “As air moves through the pipe, it resonates. When it impinges on the pipe, it produces motion and that’s what we’re kind of measuring.”

Waythomas said the problem is there’s a lot of wind and that can obscure the signal.

“It looked to us like there was increase in this tremor signal,” Waythomas said. “We wanted to alert everyone it was possible this could be accompanied by a large steam or ash emission.”

The Alaska Volcano Observatory also has access to satellites which they use to look for steam or ash plumes and thermal signals, but cloud cover is making it difficult to confirm.

Bogslof volcano began erupting last week. </s> New lava island is forming in Hawaii

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Volcanoes are exploding everywhere,: A small lava island formed off Kapoho, Hawaii. The Piton de la Fournaise volcano on La Reunion Inland stared erupting again on July 13, 2018. The Öræfajökull volcano in Iceland is inflating and preparing for a next major eruption. Continuous intense explosions of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia are heard over 42 kms around. A new volcano has been discovered on Io, one of Jupiter's moon. And some other pictures and videos from around the world.A tiny new island of lava has formed on the northernmost part of the ocean entry. During this morning's overflight, HVO's field crew noticed the island was oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline. By USGS A tiny new island of lava has formed on the northernmost part of the ocean entry off Kapoho, scientists say, as Fissure 8 continues to be the primary erupting vent on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone.During this morning's overflight, a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew "noticed the island was oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline."The Piton de la Fournaise volcano situated on the Reunion erupted again on Friday, July 13, 2018 at 03:30 after only 42 days of rest. The eruption ended on the same day at 22:00 after 18 hours and 30 minutes of eruption:This was the third eruption in 2018. The previous eruption started on April 27, 2018 and ended on Friday, June 1, 2018,14 hours and 40 minutes. Reunion-extreme Krakatau is going crazy ...100 times explosion a day ... very loudHere a video of the current seismicity:That is justThe explosive activity of the volcano continues and seems to be increasing with strombolian to vulcanian-style explosions from the summit crater. Ash plumes can be seen on satellite imagery now, but so far have been low and do not affect air traffic significantly. - Volcano Discovery Scientists have confirmed for the first time thatThe observations from the two volcanos-Aira caldera and Kirishima-show that the two were connected through a common subterranean magma source in the months leading up to the 2011 eruption of Kirishima. - Phys.org Nishinoshima has erupted again. Brownon July 12, 2018 at noon.In a statement sent out yesterday (13-July-2018) by Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management it is madeCurrently, the volcano has accumulated the same volume that accumulated inside Eyjafjallajökull volcano before it erupted in 2010 and still continue to accumulate magma. Each magma injections triggers a seismic swarm. Currently there is no signs of an imminent eruption. But this might change without warning. - Jonfr Makushin volcano summit overflight on July 10, 2018 shows aescaping from the crater of the wolcano. Alert level remains green:Here is a satellite image of the most recent lava at Cleveland. This Worldview-3 satellite image was collected on July 10, 2018 and shows an 80-meter diameter circularIt also shows minor steam emissions.NASA Juno data indicate another possible volcano on Jupiter moon Io.Data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft using its Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument point toof Io that could indicate a previously undiscovered volcano on the small moon of Jupiter. The infrared data were, when Juno was about 290,000 miles (470,000 kilometers) away from the moon. - JPL NASA Volcanoes are exploding everywhere, even deep in our Solar System. Be prepared! Get Ready!
A volcanic eruption continues on Bogoslof Island near Unalaska, in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The eruption has impacted air transportation routes.