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Monday, May 4, 2009

Mt. Redoubt Volcano

Categories: Landscapes, Mountains, Nature485 comments

Mt. Redoubt volcano has brought Alaska once again to the national news scene. Situated near the Anchorage International airport, recent eruptions, some emitting gas and ash to 50,000 feet, have caused havoc with incoming and outgoing commercial flights.  You can learn all about the volcano and get current updates from the Alaska Volcano Observatory website.

I had been watching the weather for weeks waiting for clear skies. Finally, a high pressure system moved into south central Alaska and I made the 500 mile trip from Fairbanks to the Kenai Peninsula. Special thanks to my friend, colleague and excellent photographer Calvin Hall, who gave me some first hand observation reports, that supplemented the fuzzy web cam views on line. Emission activity diminished considerably about the time I arrived, but there was still a sufficient plume to imply an obvious volcano. But oh man, I so wish there was more activity and an eruption would have been fantastic–at least from a photographic point. Below are a few photos from the journey.

Plume of gas and vapor vent from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

Plume of gas and vapor vent from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

I leaned toward the wider-angle, expansive landscape scene in part because the volcano was not real active, and, it afforded some linear and geometical shapes to the composition which was otherwise wanting of pattern. The late night sun in Alaska at this time of year allows one to photograph forever it seems, under that beautiful, colorful spell of the “dusk” lighting.  As the night wore on, the clouds moved in from the south and that was the end of the clear skies. It’s pretty amazing living in a state where one can go watch an active volcano!

Plume of gas and vapor vent from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

Plume of gas and vapor vent from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

Photographer takes pictures of the plume of gas and vapor venting from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

Photographer takes pictures of the plume of gas and vapor venting from the summit of Mt. Redoubt volcano (10,191 ft), of the Chigmik mountains, Aleutian range. View across Cook Inlet approximately 50 miles, at sunset, southcentral, Alaska.

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Categories: Landscapes, Mountains, Nature

by Patrick Endres

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