After two eruptions in as many days, scientists are closely watching a volcano in the eastern Aleutians. There’s no equipment on Bogoslof volcano, but The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is keeping tabs with satellite imagery and nearby seismic monitors.
Bogoslof volcano is tiny -- like city park tiny. The uninhabited island is less than a quarter of the size of Central Park in New York City.
Michelle Coombs -- a scientist with the AVO -- says the recent Bogoslof eruptions have produced some new land.
“We have observations from today that suggest the new vent is offshore of the little island," Coombs said. "[The eruption] has destroyed part of Bogoslof Island, but also has produced new land”
But she says because the new vent is underwater, interpreting seismic activity is more difficult.
Typically when there’s an eruption, seismic waves move through the ground. With underwater vents, scientists get two sets of waves -- the expected waves moving through the ground and another set of distorted waves that travel through the water.
At this point, Coombs says it’s hard to predict how much longer the Bogoslof eruption will last.
“I wish we had a crystal ball and could say the exact sequence," she said. "We definitely don't have that capability. We’re even more limited in this situation because it's such a small island. We do not have any local seismic monitoring instruments on the island.”
Based on past eruptions on the island, Bogoslof could be active for weeks or even months.
