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Report on Cleveland (United States) — 6 August-12 August 2008


Cleveland

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 August-12 August 2008
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2008. Report on Cleveland (United States) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 August-12 August 2008. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (6 August-12 August 2008)

Cleveland

United States

52.825°N, 169.944°W; summit elev. 1730 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


On 6 August, AVO reported that the thermal anomalies noted at Cleveland's summit and on the W, S, and SE flanks had decreased in intensity since first noted on 21 July, indicating that the lava flows slowed or stopped. The Volcanic Alert Level was lowered to Advisory and the Aviation Color Code to Yellow. During 7-10 August, a weak thermal anomaly at the summit was intermittently visible when not obscured by clouds and drifting ash from the eruption of Kasatochi (about 400 km WSW). On 11 August, thermal anomalies on satellite imagery indicated that lava flowed down the flanks. The Volcano Alert Level was raised to Watch and the Aviation Color Code to Orange. On 12 August, an ash plume rose to an altitude of 7.6 km (25,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 100 km SW.

Geological Summary. The beautifully symmetrical Mount Cleveland stratovolcano is situated at the western end of the uninhabited Chuginadak Island. It lies SE across Carlisle Pass strait from Carlisle volcano and NE across Chuginadak Pass strait from Herbert volcano. Joined to the rest of Chuginadak Island by a low isthmus, Cleveland is the highest of the Islands of the Four Mountains group and is one of the most active of the Aleutian Islands. The native name, Chuginadak, refers to the Aleut goddess of fire, who was thought to reside on the volcano. Numerous large lava flows descend the steep-sided flanks. It is possible that some 18th-to-19th century eruptions attributed to Carlisle should be ascribed to Cleveland (Miller et al., 1998). In 1944 it produced the only known fatality from an Aleutian eruption. Recent eruptions have been characterized by short-lived explosive ash emissions, at times accompanied by lava fountaining and lava flows down the flanks.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)