(AP) — A volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands spewed ash into flight paths, prompting a warning to pilots by the National Weather Service. Shishaldin Volcano erupted at 5 a.m. Tuesday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced and sent up an initial ash cloud to 19,000 feet (5791.2 meters). Clouds initially obscured the mountain, but satellite imagery confirmed the ash cloud, U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Hans Schwaiger said. Seismicity diminished for a few hours, but it then increased again.
During the increase, the volcano spewed an ash cloud to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters), the observatory announced. The later eruption increased the volume of ash. The wind continued to push the ash cloud northeast into the eastern Bering Sea and away from jet airliners flying between North America and Asia. However, the National Weather Service upgraded its alert level to a warning. Trace amounts of ash were expected to fall on communities as far away as Sand Point about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of the volcano. Seismic activity greatly diminished afternoon. READ MORE
