ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY STATUS REPORT
U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:45 PM AKDT (Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 20:45 UTC)

CLEVELAND VOLCANO (VNUM #311240)
52°49'20" N 169°56'42" W, Summit Elevation 5676 ft (1730 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Cloudy conditions have prevented direct observation of Cleveland for the last few days. It is not clear if the current eruptive phase has paused or ended.

Renewed or accelerated activity is possible at any time and may result in lava overtopping the crater rim and flowing down the flank of the volcano. Portions of this lava flow could collapse and produce avalanches of hot debris or pyroclastic flows that reach the sea.

A sudden explosive event and ash cloud exceeding 20,000 ft above sea level also remain possible. Such explosions could go undetected in satellite imagery for hours. However, in cooperation with the University of Washington, AVO has implemented a lightning alarm system that may detect significant ash-producing events within minutes of onset. Should a large ash explosion occur, it is also possible that seismic signals would be recorded on AVO seismic networks at nearby volcanoes; there is no real-time seismic network on Cleveland.

AVO will continue to monitor the volcano using multiple sources of satellite, lightning detection, and distant seismic data.

For more information on the current activity at Cleveland, please see: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Cleveland.php





CONTACT INFORMATION:

John Power, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
jpower@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497

Steve McNutt, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
steve@giseis.alaska.edu (907) 474-7131

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.

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