2009 Eruption of Redoubt volcano, Alaska
Summary:
The 2009 eruption of Redoubt commenced March 22 at 22:34 AKDT, and 19 explosive events were recorded between March 22 and April 4th, 2009. Observations from satellite and overflights by AVO personnel noted 2-3 periods of lava dome growth between a few of the explosions. At present, a large dome has grown within the summit crater, spilling partway down the upper Drift Glacier Gorge.
During the eruption, AVO personnel from the USGS and ADGGS conducted fieldwork and sampled tephra fall and lahar deposits around the volcano. Juvenile samples from a subset of the explosive events were sent quickly to UAF for preliminary petrographic, petrologic, and geochemical investigations. The UAF work was accomplished by Pavel Izbekov and Jessica Larsen (UAF), Christopher Nye and Cheryl Cameron (ADGGS), and students Jill Shipman and Sarah Henton. Expert analytical assistance was provided through the UAF Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory (Ken Severin and Thomas Kircher). These webpages describe a portion of the UAF effort to provide rapid petrological observations to the AVO for use in monitoring the ongoing eruption during spring 2009.
Redoubt during summer 2009, with steaming new dome. Photograph by Kate Bull, AVO - Alaska Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The links below provide more information about preliminary geochemical and petrological studies.
