On Sunday, the specialists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported that gas was streaming from the area around the 1989-1990 lava dome, and that water continued to discharge along the Drift glacier. On Monday, the webcam monitoring the volcano also went dark.

 

Furthermore, the Observatory also reported that a regional earthquake centered NW of Willow showed up on all of Redoubt’s volcanic stations on Sunday.

 

Over the past week, the seismic activity continued at above-normal levels, escalating in more intense seismic tremor toward the end of the week.

 

The eruption, which is considered to be imminent, has been estimated to be similar to that of 1989 – 1990, the last of the three eruptions of Redoubt in the 20th century. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, it is somewhat less likely that no eruption will occur or that the volcano has an eruption larger than that of 1989 – 1990.

 

The eruption in 1989 lifted volcanic ash 12 kilometers above sea levels, flooded the Drift River valley, disrupted air traffic and caused economic pressure on people in south-central Alaska. In addition to that, a Boeing 747-400 jetliner lost power in all its engines after flying into a cloud of volcanic ash, although it did manage to land safely.

 

The residents in the affected areas had been advised to remain indoors, in order to avoid health problems. In addition to that, the economic losses following the 1989 eruption of the Redoubt volcano were estimated at $160 million.