US: Aircraft warning issued after Alaska volcano sends ash plume soaring

An Alaska volcano that has been erupting periodically for more than seven months sent up another ash cloud, prompting a warning to trans-continental aircraft. Bogoslof Volcano, in the Aleutian Islands about 1,400 km southwest of Anchorage, erupted at 10 a.m. Monday and spewed ash for three hours until about 1 p.m. Satellite data showed the eruption rising above clouds at 450m. A pilot later reported seeing the ash cloud at 9,750m. The volcano has erupted about 60 times since mid-December, said Dave Schneider, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist with the observatory, usually in spurts far less than three hours. Previous eruptions have been from vents under the sea. “We think this was still underwater today,” Schneider said. Satellite images in early afternoon showed a continuous ash cloud still attached to the volcano, according to the observatory. Winds pushed the cloud south. The observatory said seismic activity declined but remained above background levels and that emissions could intensify without warning.<br/>