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Anatahan volcano erupts anew
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Posted on Jun 06 2005
Anatahan’s volcanic eruption intensified anew early yesterday morning, kicking up a thick plume of ash to 26,000 feet in the air.
Tremor levels also exceeded previous peaks.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Emergency Management Office described the occurrence, however, as just a “small eruption.”
The agencies said the tremor levels soared at about 10pm Sunday until past midnight yesterday. Before this, seismicity levels were generally low on Sunday, they added.
They noted, though, that Anatahan recorded high tremor levels on Saturday, when small long-period earthquakes occurred.
“Tremor amplitudes rose and fell three times, reaching higher peaks of similar amplitudes on May 28, June 1 and June 3. prior to the June 3 peak, there occurred a 20-minute long swarm of about 26 earthquakes, which have been very rare since January,” the agencies said.
They cautioned aircraft passing through the area that conditions could change rapidly, advising aircraft to pass upwind of Anatahan or beyond 10 nautical miles downwind and reminding them to exercise due caution within 10 nautical miles.
The volcano recorded its strongest historical eruption last April 6. The agencies said the volcano expelled about 50 million cubic meters of ash in that eruption and sent plumes up to 50,000 feet in the air.
Citing satellite monitoring by the Air Force Weather Agency, they said that the volcano yesterday released a dense ash plume to 12,000 feet, which moved northwesterly.
The USGS and the EMO said the plume extended about 200 nautical miles to the northwest, while a thinner ash plume and volcanic smog extended from 390 nautical miles northeast through 594 nautical miles north of the volcano’s summit.
As of past 10am yesterday, the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory reported that plume continued to stream northwesterly before diffusing about 280 nautical miles.
