Sanford 1981/4

Start: April 11, 1981 [1]

Event Type: Not an eruption

Event Characteristics:
  • Debris-avalanche, volcanic avalanche, or landslide [2]

Description: An Associated Press story carried by both the LA Times and the New York times reported that a huge rockslide on Mt. Sanford on April 11, 1981, had been previously mistaken for a volcanic eruption. The text of the story (Associated Press, 1981) is as follows: "A huge landslide on Mount Sanford was mistaken for a volcanic eruption by nearby residents and airline pilots passing overhead yesterday, a University of Alaska scientist says. The slide on the mountain's sheer south face exposed layers of old, loose ash that strong updrafts pushed into a huge plume-shaped cloud, Carl Benson, a member of the university's Geophysical Institute, said after flying over the 16,237-foot peak yesterday. The landslide occurred in a sparsely populated area, and there were no reports of injury or damage."

References Cited

[1] News in brief: The Nation [A massive landslide on Mt. Sanford], 1981

Associated Press, 1981, News in brief: The Nation [A massive landslide on Mt. Sanford]: LA Times, April 13, 1981, p. 2, part 1.

[2] Landslide on mountain in Alaska is mistaken for volcanic eruption, 1981

Associated Press, 1981, Landslide on mountain in Alaska is mistaken for volcanic eruption: New York Times, Section B, p. 9, column 6, April 13, 1981.

Complete Eruption References

News in brief: The Nation [A massive landslide on Mt. Sanford], 1981

Associated Press, 1981, News in brief: The Nation [A massive landslide on Mt. Sanford]: LA Times, April 13, 1981, p. 2, part 1.
Hard Copy held by AVO at FBKS - CEC file cabinet

Landslide on mountain in Alaska is mistaken for volcanic eruption, 1981

Associated Press, 1981, Landslide on mountain in Alaska is mistaken for volcanic eruption: New York Times, Section B, p. 9, column 6, April 13, 1981.