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Continued Unrest At Bogoslof Volcano

T. Keith, U.S. Geological Survey

Updated: 12/29 at 2 p.m.

Seismic unrest continues at Bogoslof volcano. Scientists are watching the eruption around the clock -- even though monitoring stations are far from the site.

 

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.”

 

The problem Waythomas says 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.

Original post: 12/27 at 11 p.m.

Seismic unrest continues at Bogoslof volcano.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) believes an ash-producing eruption began Wednesday night on the Eastern Aleutian island. Heavy clouds in the region are making it difficult to confirm.

Without ground-based monitoring equipment on the island, the AVO is relying on satellite imagery and other data for indications of significant seismic activity.

Bogslof volcano began erupting on December 20.

Zoë Sobel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2019. She returned to KUCB after a year living in Nepal and Malaysia as a Luce Scholar. She then returned to KUCB as a ProPublica reporter August of 2020 through August of 2021.
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