Alaska's Mount Redoubt

Beginning March 22nd, 2009, Alaska's Mount Redoubt, began a series of volcanic eruptions, and continues to be active to this date. Ash clouds produced by Redoubt have pushed 65,000 feet into the sky, disrupting air traffic, drifting across Cook Inlet, and depositing layers of gritty ash on populated areas of the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage, about 180 km (110 miles) to the northeast. Mount Redoubt has erupted at least five times since 1900, with the most recent event taking place in 1989. (27 photos total)

An eruption of Mt. Redoubt seen at sunset from the cockpit of a DC-6 flying over Cook Inlet near Anchorage, Alaska on March 31, 2009. Photograph kindly provided by Bryan Mulder - pilot and photographer. (© Bryan Mulder)

An ash cloud from the eruption of Redoubt volcano rises above the horizon in Homer, Alaska, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The eruption Thursday morning sent an ash cloud 65,000 feet above sea level, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported. (AP Photo/Kenai Peninsula Clarion, McKibben Jackinsky) #

Photograph of Redoubt's March 27th eruption cloud, as seen from near Homer, Alaska. Photograph courtesy of Dennis Anderson. (Dennis Anderson / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Crater on Mt. Redoubt showing rapidly melting glacier and enlarged "ice piston" feature (a crater-like feature made of ice, but with vertical walls, formed by a plug of ice dropping down vertically as ice at the base melts and the water flows away). Picture Date: March 21, 2009. (Cyrus Read / AVO/USGS) #

A hole beneath the dome formed in an earlier eruption event in 1990. Picture Date: March 21, 2009 (Cyrus Read / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Closeup of the top vent in the Redoubt summit crater, seen on March 21, 2009 (Cyrus Read / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Panorama of a plume trailing off to the northeast from Mt. Redoubt on March 31, 2009. The plume contains fine ash which is creating a haze layer downwind of the volcano, and peppering snow-covered mountainsides. (Kristi Wallace / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

This satellite image provided by GeoEye and taken Monday March 30, 2009 shows Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano as it emits a steady ash plume. A light dusting of ash fell for the first time on Anchorage on Saturday. (AP Photo/GeoEye Satellite Image) #

View to the east of the summit crater of Redoubt volcano, heavily covered with deposits from recent eruptions. The near ridge, right of the notch, is the upper reach of the Crescent Glacier on the southwest flank. Picture Date: March 31, 2009. (Game McGimsey / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

An eruption of Mt Redoubt, seen from a distance on March 28, 2009. (Tricia Joy Sadler / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Photograph of Redoubt's ash cloud, as it passes overhead and descends, viewed while traveling between Kenai and Nikiski, Alaska on March 28th, 2009. (Jaden Larson / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Volcanic ash fallout on the hood of a truck in Nikiski, Alaska from Redoubt volcano. This plume was generated during a March 28, 2009 eruption, and ash fall began at approximately 4:16 pm local time and lasted maybe 5 minutes. Notice the ash fall is less than 1 mm thick but grains are coarse sand size. (Kristi Wallace / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Gritty volcanic ash is seen on a person's fingertips Sunday, March 29, 2009, in Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska's Mount Redoubt has simmered down after spreading a layer of gritty volcanic ash over scores of communities that include the state's largest city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) #

Scanning Electron Microscope image of ash particles emitted by Redoubt volcano on March 22, 2009. The ash sample was collected during the ashfall in Healy, Alaska by Pavel Izbekov on March 23, 2009. The image was acquired by Pavel Izbekov and Jill Shipman using ISI-50 Scanning Electron Microscope at the Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks. (Pavel Izbekov, Jill Shipman / AVO/UAF-GI) #

Scanning Electron Microscope image of a single ash particle emitted by Redoubt volcano on March 22, 2009. The image was acquired by Tom Kircher using ISI-50 Scanning Electron Microscope at the Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks. (Tom Kircher / AVO/UAF-GI) #

Game McGimsey samples ash above the Drift River valley at seismic station DFR, located 8 miles (13 km) north of the summit crater of Redoubt. Picture Date: March 23, 2009. (Cyrus Read / AVO/USGS) #

Alternating ash and snow fall over several days create layers in this examination of tephra-fall deposits (volcanic ash) from the initial explosions from Redoubt volcano on March 22 and 23, 2009. Picture Date: March 31, 2009. (Kristi Wallace / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

In this March 26, 2009 file photo, Mount Redoubt bellows steam and ash across the Cook Inlet from Ninilchik, Alaska. (AP Photo/Al Grillo) #

Ash cloud from Mt. Redoubt seen by the geostationary MTSAT satellite, courtesy of the National Weather Service, processed by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Picture Date: March 26, 2009. (Jonathan Dehn / National Weather Service) #

Photograph of lightning from Mt. Redoubt's 1:20 am, March 28 eruption, courtesy of Bretwood Higman. (Bretwood Higman / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Lightning seen during Mt. Redoubt's 1:20 am, March 28 eruption, courtesy of Bretwood Higman. (Bretwood Higman / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Photograph of lightning from Redoubt's 11:20 pm, March 27, eruption, courtesy of Bretwood Higman. (Bretwood Higman / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Landsat 5 image of the Mt. Redoubt area on March 26,2009 at 1:07 PM AKDT. The false color image shows the large brown ash cloud extending over the Cook Inlet and the western Kenai peninsula (right side of image). The image also shows a whiter steam and gas plume rising from the summit of Redoubt Volcano (upper left). Dark lahar deposits extend north from the summit over the Drift Glacier an into the Drift River. (Ron Beck, EROS / Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey) #

Photograph of Mt. Redoubt's expanding eruption plume, about 3:30 pm, March 28, 2009, seen from Kasilof Beach in Alaska. (Jacob Buller / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Steam plume, lahar and ash deposits on the northern slope of Mt Redoubt, seen on April 4th, 2009. (Game McGimsey / Alaska Volcano Observatory) #

Muddy waterfalls running down the Drift Glacier on the side of Mt. Redoubt on March 23, 2009. (Cyrus Read / AVO/USGS) #

Steam and ash rise from Mount Redoubt volcano shortly after sunset, March 15, 2009, 50 miles west of Soldotna, Alaska. (AP Photo/Peninsula Clarion, M. Scott Moon) #