Sanford reported activity

Event Name : Sanford 1981/4

Start:

April 11, 1981

Observed

Debris-avalanche, volcanic avalanche, or landslide:

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."