united states

For all you Redoubt vigil holders... According to AVO at ~12:30 (2/5/09): Starting at 11:18 AKST (20:18 UTC), a burst of more intense seismic tremor occurred. This episode lasted for about 4 minutes and was the most most energetic since January 30. Radar and pilot observations confirm our analysis that no eruption occurred.
Bored with waiting for Redoubt to erupt? Well, Nevado del Huila in Colombia looks like it is also on the eruption watch list. A fly-over of Huila performed by Colombian officials (unclear from the article if it was done by National Emergency Management or INGEOMINAS) revealed a large lava dome growing in the crater, suggesting that an eruption might follow considering all the lava being extruded. This eruption might come in the form of an explosion caused by the collapse of this lava done - the collapse itself could generate a pyroclastic flow and the release of pressure on the underlying…
Redoubt (above) is definitely taking its time. After catching everyone's attention last week with seismic activity, melting of its snow cap and increased gas emissions, the volcano is still, well, doing all those things, but not erupting. AVO's update are beginning to sound like a broken record: "(2/3/09 04:10) Unrest at Redoubt Volcano is continuing with elevated seismicity well above background levels. The volcano has not erupted. A gas/observation overflight yesterday reported continued changes in the summit glaciers indicative of heating of the summit area. Photos from both the…
tags: Masked Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus ridgwayi, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Masked Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi) 700 (Nearly extinct in the wild, some 700 captive). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear here by permission…
Mt. Asama near Tokyo did, in fact, erupt within the "two day" window predicted by the Meteorological Agency of Japan. The reports this morning put the ash column at ~2,000 meters (~6-7,000 feet), so relatively small, but big enough to dust parts of Tokyo (~145 km away) with ash. No evacuations are planned for the area around Asama, but people who live within 4 km of the volcano are to "take caution".  There are also new reports that Mt. Sakurajima in southern Japan erupted yesterday. Block were thrown up to a few kilometers from the volcano. The article suggests that ash spread as far as…
tags: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Picoides borealis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) Estimated 12,210 breeding birds. Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear here by permission of National Geographic…
The "eruption watch" continues at Redoubt ... Saturday revealed that things are getting hotter at the summit near the 1989/1990 dome (see picture above that made Redoubt famous in 1989). The overflight of the volcano revealed new holes in the summit glacial and a multitude of muddy streams formed from the meltwater. This area of very intense fumarolic activity is just below the 1989/1990 dome (~7,100 feet) and has been growing over the past few days. They also report an area at ~9,000 feet on the volcano that shows signs of ice collapse, indicating heat from underneath the snow and ice (…
The Anchorage Daily News has an excellent article today on the Drift River Oil Terminal, a depository for oil collected from the platforms in the Cook Inlet. This oil terminal stores at least 1,000,o00 barrels of oil (see article for why we're not sure) and sits, well, at the base of Redoubt (see map below from Anchorage Daily News) on the floodplain of the Drift River (~25 miles from the vent).  Now, this oil terminal was more-or-less destroyed during the last episode of volcanism at Redoubt twenty years ago when the terminal was wiped out by floods resulting from the eruptions. Not only…
tags: Hawaiian Goose, Nene, Branta sandvicensis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Hawaiian Goose or Nene (Branta sandvicensis) 2,100 (Estimated 2,000 wild and 100 captive). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear here by permission of National…
tags: St. Andrew Beach Mouse, Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day St. Andrew Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis) 6,000 (Estimates range from 3,500 to 6,000). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were photographed by the talented Joel Sartore here at National Geographic online. All images appear…
I am surprised as anyone how the public has become captivated by this geologic drama unfolding at Redoubt. Headlines about the volcano are popping up everywhere from CNN to the MSNBC to Slashdot to Popular Science - yes, even the nerds are enthralled, which might be the reason that the AVO servers are overloaded today (and that Eruptions has set new records in visits each day for the last 4 days). The stories are pretty typical: everyone is preparing/panicking, the volcano might have a giant eruption, and so on. This is rapidly becoming the most eagerly anticipated (is that the right word…
tags: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) 90,000 remaining. Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. The photographer writes: Biologists tally nests, not individuals. Some 47,000 to 90,000 nests were counted each year on the Atlantic Coast over the past decade. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals of the United States that were…
It is either a slow news day, or something about the eruption watch at Redoubt has captured the attention of someone at CNN.com as it is now the headline on the website (see above). This is interesting (and odd) to me considering that, over the last few days, very little has changed in the status of Redoubt. In fact, AVO has said things have, in fact, settled down a bit. However, they are still thinking that an eruption is imminent, but maybe in the scales of days to weeks rather than hours. The Anchorage Daily News does have a nice map of Anchorage's area volcanoes and when they last…
tags: Mexican Gray Wolf, Canis lupus baileyi, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) 320 (60 wild, 260 captive). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. The photographer writes; Still on shaky ground, the Mexican gray wolf, an endangered subspecies, is slowly increasing in number in Arizona and New Mexico thanks to captive breeding. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that National Geographic also appreciates his exemplary work. You can view more endangered animals…
A quick note (as I'm buried in zircon): The Alaska Volcano Observatory has installed a webcam at Redoubt to monitor for an eruption. It is a little cloudy today (not the image above), so not much can be seen, but who knows, maybe you can catch the volcano in action if it erupts. The status remains at Orange (heightened risk of eruption) and AVO will monitor the volcano around the clock until things change (eruption or return to background). UPDATE (11:34 AM): Just as I posted this, I saw a very brief article that mentions something I hadn't heard before: AVO has noted some muddy debris flows…
Sorry for the headline, but this is a quick update to emphasize the media and their love of destruction. For example, Redoubt is, indeed, showing signs of a pending eruption, but how large of an eruption is anyone's guess. Most news sources have been fairly restrained with their headlines, such as: Rumbling Volcano has Geologists on Alert (although oddly filed under "strange" news) Attention Alaska Pilots - Alert Mt. Redoubt eruption may be Imminent (note that this one incorrectly says Redoubt is on "red" alert) Inlet volcano Quieter but still Simmering Alaskan Volcano Rumbling You get the…
tags: Alabama Beach Mouse, Peromyscus polionotus ammobates, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Alabama Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. The photographer writes; The Alabama beach mouse ekes out a living on a 14-mile stretch of the state's Fort Morgan Peninsula, where its dune habitat is fragmented by construction and lit up at night. Habitat saved under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prevented these nocturnal mice from going the way of the dodo. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog…
Eruptions reader Ross was very right in pointing out that something is up at Redoubt. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has put Redoubt on orange alert for aviation and suggest that an eruption could occur with "hours to days". The most recent update from AVO says that a recent overflight of the volcano done this afternoon shows no evidence that an eruption has started, but steam and sulfur output has increased. Meanwhile, seismicity at the volcano is also well above background. In all, it sounds like the Aleutians might have yet another volcano erupting if these signs continue.
tags: California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) 336 (156 wild, 180 captive). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. The photographer writes; They survived the Ice Age, but condors barely held out against Homo sapiens. Many of these scavengers were shot or poisoned by fragments of lead left behind by hunters. In 1985 just nine wild birds remained. Captive breeding and reduced use of lead ammunition have brought the species back. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this…
tags: Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis. 195 animals remaining (Estimated U.S. population is fewer than 100 wild, 95 captive). Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view]. The photographer writes; Wild ocelots are gone from all U.S. states except Texas, driven out by human development. The elusive cats still roam the wilds of Central and South America, but there's little reliable data on their true numbers. Joel Sartore has shared some of his work on this blog before, so I am thrilled to tell you that…