Pilots are being warned about ash plumes and tremors are being felt from an ongoing volcanic eruption in Alaska.
Late last night the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 7.2 earthquake off Alaska’s southern coast, near the Shishaldin Volcano. A tsunami warning was issued for nearby areas but was shortly cancelled. There was minor flooding reported in some Alaskan communities but no damage.
Kate Bull with the Alaska Volcano Observatory says there has been significant activity at the volcano this week.
“At Shishaldin Volcano on Unimak Island, a significant explosion occurred producing an ash cloud that initially reached 30,000 to 40,000 feet above sea level and drifted south over the Pacific,” she says.
The ash cloud is drifting south about 350 nautical miles from the volcano, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an in-flight warning for pilots.
The volcano has been erupting since July 11, it erupted again this morning. Activity is declining and the danger has been downgraded by the volcano observatory.
Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in Alaska, and one of the youngest — it is only 10,000 years old.
