Tick, tick, tick, boom: Alaska volcano to erupt soon

For those living in the shadow of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, the news of an imminent eruption may not be too surprising. After all, increasing seismic activity and the smoking peak are pretty hard to miss.

More than that, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, who have been closely monitoring Mount Redoubt, have noticed an increase of magma surging toward the top of the volcano. All of these factors combined have made the scientists predict with near certainty that Mount Redoubt is on its way to an eruption, possibly in weeks or even days.

Alaskans are no strangers to volcanic activity. Over the entire state, there are in fact forty active volcanoes, which is not surprising due to Alaska’s position on the Ring of Fire. While most of the active volcanoes in Alaska are on islands off the coast, there are a decent number on the mainland, which keeps residents on their toes. In fact, it was only three years ago when Mount Redoubt’s neighbor, Mount Augustine erupted south of Anchorage.

The reason for this frequency lies deep beneath the surface, where tectonic plates are moving and colliding. The Ring of Fire, where most volcanic activity is located, is actually the outer ring of one of these plates and the volcanoes form due to the impacting of two plates against each other, which causes pressure in the earth’s crust that needs to be released, thus forming a volcano.

Despite the somewhat frequency of eruptions in the region, Mount Redoubt is of particular concern to locals and scientists due to its proximity to towns, including Anchorage. When Mount Redoubt last erupted in 1989, the ash from the eruption was so intense that it caused aviation problems for days, including engine failure for a 747. Though the plane landed safely, officials hope to avoid similar scares. In addition to that, mud from the eruption overtook an storage facility for oil, which posed an environmental as well as a financial risk.

Since then, Alaskan officials have worked hard to improve its response in order to avoid future events. As Mount Redoubt gears up to blow again, focus is also on the safety of nearby residents. Alaskan residents are being reminded about basic safety measures to take, especially in regards to responding to volcanic ash, which could inundate Anchorage depending on the direction of the wind. Because of this, residents are being encourage to stock up on food as well as safety gear, such as heavy duty goggles and industrial grade breathing masks.

Experts monitoring the activity believe that the coming blast will probably be similar in scale to the 1989 blast or even smaller, but are still wary of the seriousness of this event.