Aleutian Volcano Erupts Briefly

A volcano at the eastern end of the Aleutian Islands spewed an ash plume 35,000 feet high and into commercial air routes, but no planes were damaged and scientists don’t expect further eruptions.

Mount Shishaldin, a 9,372-foot tall volcano on Unimak Island, popped a small plume into the atmosphere at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

“We had one burst and then it’s done nothing since then. This was a one-shot deal as far as we can tell,” said volcanologist Tina Neal of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Light ash fall was reported on Cold Bay early Sunday, about 50 miles to the east, and pilots reported the plume in commercial flight routes about 150 miles to the north. But unlike some eruptions in the Aleutians, this one appears to have left aircraft and property unscathed, Neal said Sunday.

In False Pass, the only sizable community on Unimak, one resident contacted wasn’t even aware the volcano had erupted.

“There’s no ash on the ground or anything. We didn’t see anything and we haven’t had any tremors,” Lillian Bear said.

Neal said records stretching back to 1775 indicate Mount Shishaldin has erupted as many as 27 times.