Mount Spurr’s escalation in releasing gases has officials concerned about eruption

Mount Spurr's summit vent

Important Takeaways:

  • Almost 300,000 residents in Alaska’s largest city are bracing for an explosive volcanic eruption.
  • Mount Spurr, a 11,000-foot-tall volcano that sits just 81 miles from the largest city in the state, is due to blow this year for the first time in 30 years.
  • City officials in Anchorage have raised the emergency planning level to Level 2, meaning that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols.
  • ‘If it’s during the school day, as soon as we get word that an eruption has occurred, we’re going to be reaching out to the Volcano Observatory,’ said Anchorage School District Office of Emergency Management Director Jared Woody.
  • ‘We’re going to be working with the National Weather Service, as well as (the city) to find out what are the anticipated impacts to the city. Is the ash plume coming towards us at this point?’
  • Scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) say Mount Spurr is ‘moving closer to an eruption’ that could happen in ‘weeks to months.’
  • On March 7, the volcano began releasing elevated levels of gas from its summit and a side vent that last erupted in 1992.
  • These emissions are the latest development in a period of unrest this volcano has been experiencing since April 2024, when it started shuddering with small earthquakes — the first clue that new magma was rising toward the volcano’s vents.

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More than 2 feet of snow in 48hrs hits Anchorage with more on the way; City officials declare snow emergency

Alaska-snow

Important Takeaways:

  • Lot of Snow Even for Alaska: Anchorage Hit with More Than Two Feet, Declares Emergency
  • Government offices will remain closed Monday and school will be conducted remotely in Anchorage as Alaska’s largest city gets hit by another storm while still digging out of a record snowstorm last week.
  • Up to a foot of snow was expected in the city on Monday after more than two feet fell within 48 hours late last week. The National Weather Service says up to 1.5” of snow an hour was predicted with the latest storm.
  • Areas of blowing snow reducing visibilities to a half mile or less were expected at times on Monday morning.
  • A blizzard warning also was issued for Monday in Whittier and Thompson Passes outside of the city.
  • A Snow Emergency remains in effect for the city until Friday, November 17.
  • There were widespread power outages due to the previous storm but Chugach Electric said all service was believed to be restored by Sunday evening.

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Powerful earthquake rattles Alaska, no injuries reported

A stranded vehicle lies on a collapsed roadway near the airport after an earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Nathaniel Wilder

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – A powerful earthquake shook southern Alaska on Friday morning, buckling roads, disrupting traffic and knocking television stations off the air in the state’s largest city, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake’s epicenter was 8.1 miles (13 km) north of Anchorage, home to about 40 percent of the state’s population. The temblor had a depth of 26.7 miles (43 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A tsunami warning was issued for Cook Inlet, which links Anchorage with the Gulf of Alaska, but it was later canceled.

Earthquake damage is seen inside a store in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. November 30, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. David Harper/via REUTERS

Earthquake damage is seen inside a store in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. November 30, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. David Harper/via REUTERS

The quake, of a magnitude that is common in Alaska, was followed by numerous aftershocks, and climatologist Rick Thoman reported that he felt it in Fairbanks, about 350 miles north of Anchorage, a city of about 300,000 residents.

“Thought the house was going to come apart,” Anchorage-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider wrote on Twitter, posting a picture of his kitchen floor scattered with items that had fallen from cupboards.

Anchorage suffered major infrastructure damage, police said in a Twitter message, with homes and buildings damaged, and many roads and bridges are closed.

Rush-hour traffic in Anchorage came to a standstill and jammed up heading out of town after the quake struck at around 8:30 a.m. local time (1230 EST/1730 GMT).

Governor Bill Walker said he had issued a disaster declaration and was in direct contact with the White House, which said President Donald Trump was monitoring the situation.

The state has had an average of one magnitude 7 to 8 earthquake every year since 1900, according to the state government website, and the state has more earthquakes than any other U.S. region. Southern Alaska experienced the second largest earthquake ever recorded in 1964, which had a magnitude of 9.2.

Video posted on social media showed supermarkets with items from shelves strewn across the floors in the quake’s aftermath and of television station KTVA’s newsroom in shambles.

A photo posted by a reporter at KTVA showed a deserted showroom, with part of its ceiling collapsed and debris scattered throughout the room. CNN reported that television station KTUU, an NBC affiliate, also was knocked off the air.

A stranded vehicle lies on a collapsed roadway near the airport after an earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Nathaniel Wilder

A stranded vehicle lies on a collapsed roadway near the airport after an earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Nathaniel Wilder

KTUU’s website featured a photo of a snow-covered highway that had buckled, with a car sitting between two deep fissures crossing the highway.

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport remained open, but arrivals and departure ramps were closed and there were reports of road damage, the airport said on Twitter.

The city’s schools were evacuated and parents were notified to pick up their children.

(Additional reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York; Writing by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Anchorage Shaken By 5.8 Earthquake

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale shook Anchorage, Alaska and was felt for 175 miles from the epicenter according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was approximately 30 miles northwest of downtown Anchorage. Despite the strength, the tsunami warning center reported no threat to the coastal areas. Continue reading