Cleveland 2020/6
Start: June 1, 2020 [1]
Stop: June 1, 2020 [1]
Event Type: Explosive
Max VEI: 3 [2]
- Minor explosive eruption [3]
- Lahar, debris-flow, or mudflow [3]
- Pyroclastic flow, surge, or nuee ardente [3]
- Caldera/crater [3]
- Steam [3]
Description: From Orr and others, 2024: "Intermittent explosive eruptions have taken place [at Cleveland] every year since 2001. In 2020, Mount Cleveland had one confirmed explosion...
"[O]n June 2 at 06:31 UTC (June 1 at 21:31 HADT), a small explosion triggered the infrasound alarm in Adak, Alaska, and was detected shortly thereafter on the infrasound array in the City of Dillingham, Alaska. A small ash cloud was observed shortly afterward in satellite imagery drifting southward at an altitude of ~22,000 ft (~6,700 m). This event was the first explosion detected at Mount Cleveland since January 2019 - a span of 17 months and the longest repose period at the volcano since its onset of eruptive activity in 2001. In response, the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level were elevated to ORANGE and WATCH on June 2 at 07:46 UTC (June 1 at 22:46 HADT).
"The explosion destroyed ~60 percent of the 2019 dome, excavated and widened the crater slightly, and sent pyroclastic and debris flows as far as ~3 km [1.9 mi] down the flanks of the volcano. Hot debris landing on snow may have triggered some of these flows by melting and remobilizing mixtures of debris and snow. Satellite imagery acquired after the explosion also showed a trace ash deposit extending southward from the summit, discoloring the snow on the volcano’s flanks. Aerial photographs taken on June 3 showed that impact craters from ballistically ejected bombs and blocks dotted the snow, and satellite imagery acquired later showed that the ejecta reached as far as 1,400 m [4,600 ft] from the summit crater.
"Activity at Mount Cleveland diminished after the June 2 explosion. A weak steam plume dissipated after a few days, and no conspicuous degassing or definitive elevated surface temperatures were observed in satellite imagery thereafter through the rest of the year. Because of the lack of activity, the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level were downgraded to YELLOW and ADVISORY on June 17, then to UNASSIGNED on September 3, where the volcano stayed for the rest of the year."
"[O]n June 2 at 06:31 UTC (June 1 at 21:31 HADT), a small explosion triggered the infrasound alarm in Adak, Alaska, and was detected shortly thereafter on the infrasound array in the City of Dillingham, Alaska. A small ash cloud was observed shortly afterward in satellite imagery drifting southward at an altitude of ~22,000 ft (~6,700 m). This event was the first explosion detected at Mount Cleveland since January 2019 - a span of 17 months and the longest repose period at the volcano since its onset of eruptive activity in 2001. In response, the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level were elevated to ORANGE and WATCH on June 2 at 07:46 UTC (June 1 at 22:46 HADT).
"The explosion destroyed ~60 percent of the 2019 dome, excavated and widened the crater slightly, and sent pyroclastic and debris flows as far as ~3 km [1.9 mi] down the flanks of the volcano. Hot debris landing on snow may have triggered some of these flows by melting and remobilizing mixtures of debris and snow. Satellite imagery acquired after the explosion also showed a trace ash deposit extending southward from the summit, discoloring the snow on the volcano’s flanks. Aerial photographs taken on June 3 showed that impact craters from ballistically ejected bombs and blocks dotted the snow, and satellite imagery acquired later showed that the ejecta reached as far as 1,400 m [4,600 ft] from the summit crater.
"Activity at Mount Cleveland diminished after the June 2 explosion. A weak steam plume dissipated after a few days, and no conspicuous degassing or definitive elevated surface temperatures were observed in satellite imagery thereafter through the rest of the year. Because of the lack of activity, the Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level were downgraded to YELLOW and ADVISORY on June 17, then to UNASSIGNED on September 3, where the volcano stayed for the rest of the year."
Images
References Cited
[1] Alaska Volcano Observatory website, 2005
Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2005-, Alaska Volcano Observatory website: http://www.avo.alaska.edu.[2] Volcanoes of the world: an illustrated catalog of Holocene volcanoes and their eruptions, 2003
Siebert, L., and Simkin, T., 2002-, Volcanoes of the world: an illustrated catalog of Holocene volcanoes and their eruptions: Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series GVP-3, http://volcano.si.edu/search_volcano.cfm, unpaged internet resource.
[3] 2020 volcanic activity in Alaska - Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2024
Orr, T., Cameron, C.E., Dietterich, H.R., Loewen, M.W., Lopez, T., Lyons, J.J., Nakai, J., Power, J.A., Searcy, C., Tepp, G., and Waythomas, C.W., 2024, 2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska - Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5004, 34 p. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245004.
Full-text PDF 13.5 MB Complete Eruption References
Alaska Volcano Observatory website, 2005
Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2005-, Alaska Volcano Observatory website: http://www.avo.alaska.edu.
Along-arc volcanism in the western and central Aleutian from 2015 to 2021 revealed by cloud-based InSAR processing, 2023
Wang, J., Lu, Z., Bekaert, D., Marshak, C., Govorcin, M., Sangha, S., Kennedy, J., and Gregg, P., 2023, Along-arc volcanism in the western and central Aleutian from 2015 to 2021 revealed by cloud-based InSAR processing: Geophysical Research Letters v. 50, no. 23, e2023GL106323. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106323
Full-text PDF 3.9 MB Automatic identification and quantification of volcanic hotspots in Alaska using HotLINK: the hotspot learning and identification network, 2024
Saunders-Schultz, P., Lopez, T., Dietterich, H., and Girona, T., 2024, Automatic identification and quantification of volcanic hotspots in Alaska using HotLINK - the hotspot learning and identification network: Frontiers in Earth Science v. 12, 1345104. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1345104
Full-text PDF 46.1 MB 2020 volcanic activity in Alaska - Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2024
Orr, T., Cameron, C.E., Dietterich, H.R., Loewen, M.W., Lopez, T., Lyons, J.J., Nakai, J., Power, J.A., Searcy, C., Tepp, G., and Waythomas, C.W., 2024, 2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska - Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5004, 34 p. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245004.
Full-text PDF 13.5 MB