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Bogoslof volcano (Aleutian Islands): short but violent explosive eruption reported

Wed, 21 Dec 2016, 17:59 | BY: T
Ash plume from Bogoslof volcano on satellite imagery (image: NOAA/CIMSS)
Ash plume from Bogoslof volcano on satellite imagery (image: NOAA/CIMSS)
An eruption occurred at the volcano early this morning (at 01 am UTC). A brief, but relatively strong explosion seems to have produced a short-lived ash plume which was spotted on satellite data and by pilots en route in the area.
According to this data, an ash column rose to approx. 10 km altitude and quickly dissipated to the south.
There is no monitoring of the volcano on the remote island itself and not much is known about its activity and typical behavior. There are no details available about the nature of today's event. So far, no new ash plumes have become visible, which could mean that the explosion was an isolated event.

The last known eruption of Bogoslof volcano was in 1992 near the northern shore of the small island. A vent breached the sea surface producing surtseyan activity before building a new lava dome that eventually reached about 150 m height. Similar events had also occurred in 1927 and 1786, but only small remnants of the edifices produced by those earlier eruptions have survived the erosive action of the arctic ocean.

Previous news

Wed, 21 Dec 2016, 06:00

Bogoslof volcano (Fox Islands, USA) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 21 December-27 December 2016 (New Activity / Unrest)

AVO reported that the explosive eruption at Bogoslof, which was reported by several pilots around 1530 on 20 December and produced an ash plume that rose to 10.3 km (34,000 ft) a.s.l., lasted about 30 minutes. The ash plume detached and dispersed S. AVO had raised the Aviation Color Code (ACC) to Red and the Volcano Alert Level (VAL) to Warning, but since no further activity was detected or observed the ACC was lowered to Orange and the VAL was lowered to Watch. ... Read all
Wed, 14 Dec 2016, 06:00

Bogoslof volcano (Fox Islands, USA) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 14 December-20 December 2016 (New Activity / Unrest)

AVO reported that a short-lived explosive eruption at Bogoslof, observed and reported by several pilots around 1600 on 20 December, produced an ash plume that rose to 10.3 km (34,000 ft) a.s.l. A subsequent pilot report made 50 minutes later indicated that activity had decreased. Satellite data showed a discrete, short-lived explosion just prior to 1600, and a detached plume that drifted S. ... Read all
Bogoslof volcano
Submarine volcano 150 m / 492 ft
United States, Aleutian Islands, 53.93°N / -168.03°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5) Bogoslof volcano eruptions:
2016-17, 1992, 1951 (?), 1931 (?), 1926-28, 1913, (?), 1909-10, 1908 (?), 1907, 1906, 1883, 1806, 1786
Typical eruption style
explosive