Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano showing signs of possible eruption

On Wednesday, officials announced that Alaska’s Cleveland volcano is once again showing signs of a possible eruption, prompting authorities to again raise the alert level to “Orange/Watch”.

The raising of the alert level comes after the Alaska Volcano Observatory noticed signs of a possible eruption at Mount Cleveland after reviewing satellite data of the area. The observatory says that a new lava dome is forming, but there have been no observations of any ash clouds.

“A new lava dome has been observed in the summit crater, and as of 30 January 2012 was approximately 40 meters (130 feet) in diameter,” the AVO reports. “There have been no observations of ash emissions or explosive activity during this current lava eruption.”

The AVO has been keeping a close eye on the Cleveland volcano ever since a lava dome was destroyed in December of last year after one of the first instances of explosive activity since 2001. While not clear, officials say that something similar could occur.

“It remains possible for intermittent, sudden explosions of blocks and ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop,” the observatory said.

Steve McNutt, a scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told CNN that, should the latest activity at the Cleveland volcano result in an explosive eruption, international flights could be affected.

“If there is an explosion and (ash) reaches high altitudes, it will causes flights to be rerouted and ultimately canceled,” McNutt said.

Source: AVO