Volcano shoots ash 8 miles high in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Augustine Volcano erupted Tuesday morning, sending an ash plume 8 1/2 miles into the air, officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said.

Because winds are moving in different directions at different elevations, an ash fall advisory was issued for communities along the southwest portion of the Kenai Peninsula and east of the volcano, in the Kamishak and Iliamna bays.

“Light ash can be expected, nothing that would accumulate in any thickness,” said Michelle Coombs, a geologist at the observatory.

The eruption lasted for five minutes, and started just before 8 a.m.

read more | San Jose Mercury News

related articles: Seattle Post Intelligencer, CBS News, Ireland Online, Forbes

Technorati Tags: Alaska, Volcano, Augustine, Alaska Volcano Observatory, Nature, Science, Environment