🌋😲 Alaska’s Shishaldin Volcano Kicks Off a Massive Ash-Party in the Sky! ✈️ Beware, Jet Setters!
TL;DR; 🚀 The Shishaldin Volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands decided to throw an ash-party, belching out a whopping ash cloud reaching up to 40,000 feet in the air. That’s right, it’s raining rocks up there! The National Weather Service had to issue an advisory to pilots, lest they turn their jet engines into pricey paperweights. 🌬️⚠️
Strap in folks, for a tale of geological drama that has been unfolding since July 11 in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, where the Shishaldin Volcano said, “Enough with the silence, it’s time to party hard!” 🌋💥 So it started erupting and lava spewed out from its summit crater. But here’s the kicker, a U.S. Coast Guard overflight confirmed it. They were probably like, “Hey, did someone leave the stove on?” 🔥👀
At 1:09 a.m. on Friday, the volcano had a significant outburst, almost like it had too much to drink, shooting an ash cloud up to a breathtaking 40,000 feet! 😲✈️ As if that wasn’t enough, it went for round two at 7:10 a.m., sending another ash cloud up to 15,000 feet. So, what’s the big deal with volcanic ash, you might ask? Well, for starters, it’s not the kind you find in your backyard barbecue.
Volcanic ash is made up of sharp and angular particles, the kind of stuff that has been used as an industrial abrasive. Think sandpaper but much more hardcore. The powdered rock can cause a jet engine to shut down. Yeah, let that sink in. A face-off between a jet engine and volcanic ash? The ash is walking away the victor. 😎💪
So, of course, the National Weather Service had to step in and be the party pooper. They issued an inflight weather advisory due to the ash cloud, effectively saying, “Pilots, unless you fancy a jet engine failure mid-flight, steer clear!” 🚫🛩️
The Shishaldin Volcano, doing all this mayhem, is comfortably nestled 679 miles southwest of Anchorage, near the center of Unimak Island, the largest island in the Aleutians. It’s a perfect symmetrical cone, 10 miles in diameter at its base, rising to a staggering 9,373 feet. And with its recent performance, it’s safe to say, Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc. 🌋⚡
Most of Shishaldin’s eruptions are small but it knows how to throw a big one. Flashback to 1999, it spewed an ash column that reached a dizzying 45,000 feet. And guess what? It’s not shy of the limelight, being monitored with seismic and infrasound sensors, satellite data, a web camera, and distant infrasound and lightning networks. You could say, it’s the Kim Kardashian of volcanoes! 📸🎥
So, the question begs, how do you feel about living near an active volcano that can disrupt air traffic and possibly even more? And more importantly, are we prepared enough for these geological divas’ unexpected outbursts? 🤔🌋
