Thursday, April 25, 2013

V is for Volcanoes

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Having seen the Day in Pompeii exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center last year, I am totally creeped out by volcanoes. Given that, Alaska would probably not be a good place for me to visit, as a volcano erupts each year there on average.

The eruptions in Alaska are typically ash instead of lava, and the majority of the volcanoes are found on the Aleutian Islands or the Alaskan Peninsula. They are part of the "ring of fire" that encircles the Pacific Ocean.

The Redoubt Volcano on the Aleutian Islands erupted in December, 1989 and continued to erupt for the next six months. The eruption brought on devastating mudflows which inundated Cook Island, located about 22 miles from the volcano itself. Ultimately causing $160 million worth of damage, the Redoubt eruption is the second costliest eruption in United States history.

This image was taken in April of 1990, when Redoubt was in its fifth month of eruption.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Redoubt erupted again in April of 2009.



Have you ever seen a volcano? I'm happy to say I have not.

My A-Z theme of Alaska is inspired by my debut novel, Polar Night, which is set in Fairbanks and the Alaskan Arctic. Click here for all the info on the book.

35 comments:

  1. I've never seen a volcano but have always wanted to.

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  2. Scary stuff. I would have thought that first pic was of an atomic bomb, not a volcano.

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  3. Don't think I'd want to be around when one erupted.

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  4. Those photos of Redoubt are amazing! And I'm with you - volcanoes creep me out. Just thinking about Pompeii gives me the shivers.

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  5. Awesome and scary at the same time. Thankfully I've never been near one. I can't understand why people choose to habitat around them...

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  6. We have too that are characteristic of Mexico City landscape; the Popo and the Iztla (I'll spare you the full names). The Popo is still active and often reminds us of that fact with smoke columns and some cinder.

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  7. I've never seen a volcano, but I too saw the Pompeii exhibit. It was haunting.

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  8. @Regina, you're braver than I am then LOL.

    @Nick, it does look like that, very creepy.

    @Alex, definitely not.

    @Madeline, that exhibit was just so scary.

    @Cathrina, I can't either.

    @Al, oh, that's interesting! And it would scare me too, kind of creepy.

    @km, wasn't it? That movie at the end was so chilling.

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  9. That first pic of the erupting volcano almost looks like a mushroom cloud. Scary.

    I've never seen a volcano, but I wouldn't mind watching one erupt from a safe distance. I'm not interested in trying to outrun (outhobble?) the fiery lava flow.

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  10. Never been up close and personal with one while it erupted but they are fascinating to witness from photos!
    I had the eerie pleasure of actually walking through the Pompeii excavations. Very odd to experience. Of course, I think the old Popes lying in their glass coffins in the Vatican are way creepier to witness than victims of a volcano. :D

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  11. No, I never have, but I'd like to ... but VERY FAR OFF in the DISTANCE!

    Great pics..

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  12. I didn't know about Alaskan volcanoes. Congratulations on your book release!

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  13. It would be scary to live near an active volcano. Seeing a volcano erupt live and in person is not on my list of things to do in life.

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  14. I'm actually pretty okay with not living anywhere near a volcano. That being said, I would LOVE to see one someday :)

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  15. I love volcanoes, I'm not really sure why...but I really wouldn't want to be near one when it erupts, and I don't like how much damage they cause (obviously).
    I've seen Mount Etna in Italy up close, but thankfully it wasn't erupting :)

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  16. I have never seen a volcano...not sure i want to in person- although they look amazing. So beautiful.

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  17. @Susan, I have a feeling it wouldn't take my for the lava to catch up with me. I can't outrun much of anything!

    @Laura, oh wow, how interesting. I bet that was amazing and also so eerie.

    @Michael, yeah, I'm not sure how far it would have to be to be safe but I'd be all for it in that case.

    @Jennifer, thanks!

    @Sheena, I thought so too.

    @Nana, mine either!

    @Samantha, yeah, it doesn't bother me LOL.

    @Laura, oh, I bet that was cool to see. I'd love to go to Italy someday.

    @Rebecca, I totally agree.

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  18. Wow! I have to admit that volcanoes fascinate me, but I wouldn't want to personally be around one when it erupts.

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  19. I've seen a dormant volcano, but never one erupting. I'm happy to say that, too.

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  20. I live among volcanoes. My backyard is dug into lava. Seriously. We have cinder cones and lava buttes. Extinct volcanoes and some not so much. Lava, lava everywhere. And there's a caldera [supervolcano] about 20 miles away.

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  21. That's very cool. I might like to see a volcano from far away!

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  22. Good lord the 1990 eruption looks like a nuclear explosion - I am sort of fascinated by volcanoes.

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  23. Now how come I'd never heard of those eruptions? Albeit that I'm not the most prevalent news watcher, but you'd think I'd of heard of those. Maybe to close to the California earthquake that happened, or maybe it was when I was still in Italy studying abroad and all about having fun. :)

    I've seen the Pompeii ruins and Mt. Vesuvius from a distance. Walked the hardened molten lava in Hawaii but didn't make it to the end where you can see the lava flowing out into the ocean. Wore the wrong shoes and was with my niece and nephew. Still a worthy and interesting journey. Writer’s Mark

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  24. I got to visit Mt. St. Helen's after that eruption, once they allowed folks back into the area, and the crater was still steaming.

    We lived in the danger zone of Mt. Rainier, but it's a quiet giant, TG.

    Very frightening the power of an eruption!

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  25. Those are spectacular photos, but I'm pretty happy to stay far away from volcanoes in real life. Here in Northern Colorado, however, we're just a stone's throw from the simmering underground volcano at Yellowstone National Park. Hope it never blows...

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  26. I used to live near Mount Aetna, in Sicily when were stationed on the Naval Base in Sigonella.

    We took a walk on it a few times, and I had a ton of volcano rock...it was pretty cool :)

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  27. Volcanoes are super interesting places, best viewed from afar ;)

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  28. Beautiful, but terrifying. I've not seen an eruption, as far as I can remember, but I lived in Oregon when Mt. St. Helens erupted, and we got tons of ash. I guess that's the closest I've been. When the fire swept through this summer, it was like that, but worse (because we were farther away in the case of MSH). It's eerie. Everything gets dark, and then ash pours down on you. Sounds are dampened. No thank you!

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  29. I've never seen a volcano and wouldn't fancy living near one. Unharnessed nature is beautiful.. but from a distance!

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  30. Wow "$160 million worth of damage." I feel horrible for the families who have suffered through these frequent eruptions.

    Julie

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  31. I haven't, but I'd love to! ;) I'm weird like that.

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  32. @Cherie, yeah, that's how I definitely feel too LOL.

    @Carol, I've never even seen a dormant one, that would be cool to see.

    @Mary, that's really cool. It always @seems like you live in such an interesting area.

    @Christine, yeah, far away for me too.

    @David, doesn't it? It freaked me out.

    @Nancy, oh, you've really been on some interesting trips! I can imagine I'd end up wearing the wrong shoes too, I'm good at that LOL.

    @Yolanda, I hope Rainier remains quiet. How interesting.

    @Patricia, oh, I'd love to live near Yellowstone but that would creep me out. How fascinating.

    @Mark, I bet, I'd love to see that.

    @Lynda, definitely!

    @Shannon, oh that would have been really scary. And I remember those fires last summer, how awful.

    @Rosalind, yes, that sums it up!

    @Julie, I know, it's hard to imagine.

    @Trisha, I don't know whether to hope you get your wish or not LOL.

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  33. Saw some volcanoes in Hawaii when I was a kid. They're really neat, but much different from the snow covered Alaskan volcanoes. Cool post!

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  34. @MJ, I bet those were neat to see. Thanks!

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