Latest news with #MattHaney
New York Post
3 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Massive volcano eruption is imminent amid earthquake surge, leaving major US city on high alert, scientists fear
Is it going to blow — or blow over? Seismic activity levels on Alaska's Mount Spurr soared to March levels earlier this week, sparking fear that an eruption could be on the horizon. 'Earthquake activity beneath Mount Spurr remains elevated,' the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned in a May 28 report. 'Following a steady decline from late March through April, shallow earthquake activity has increased in the past two weeks to March levels of about 100 events per week.' Advertisement And while the advisory assured that the 'likelihood of an eruption continues to gradually decline,' the 11,000-foot volcano remains at an 'elevated state of unrest,' meaning that an 'explosive eruption' is still possible. 4 A roiling eruption column rising from Mount Spurr's Crater Peak vent during its Aug. 18, 1992, eruption. R.G. McGimsey, /, Alaska Volcano Observatory 'We're not out of the woods yet, by any means,' Matt Haney, a researcher with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, told Alaska Public Media. 'There's still earthquakes happening at Mount Spurr.' Advertisement However, an AVO report on May 29 found that while 'low-level unrest continues, no changes have been observed in the monitoring data to indicate that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption.' 'If an eruption occurred, it would be preceded by additional signals allowing warning,' they said. If an eruption were to occur, it would likely send a spout of ash shooting as high as 50,000 feet into the air, Haney previously told the Daily Mail, adding that the resulting cloud could cover the neighboring city of Anchorage. Spurr has been on officials' radar since April 2024, when they observed a spike in seismic activity. Advertisement 4 Mount Spurr. 'We're not out of the woods yet, by any means,' researcher Matt Haney saud. 'There's still earthquakes happening at Mount Spurr.' Matt Loewen / Alaska Volcano Observatory/ USGS By October, the rate of tremors had soared from 30 per week to 125 per week. The recent return to those levels has raised alarm bells. Meanwhile, a gas measurement probe from May 23 found that emissions were slightly lower, but within the 'uncertainty bounds' of those measured during the last gas analysis on April 24. They wrote that 'CO2 values' from the volcano's vents remain at 'above background' levels which could indicate the presence of magma underneath the surface. Advertisement However, AVO noted these levels were similar to the readings in 2004 and 2006, a similar period of activity when Spurr didn't blow its stack. 4 Chart detailing earthquake activity and deformation at Mount Spurr from Sept. 1, 2023, to May 23, 2025. 4 The summit of Mount Spurr on Oct. 24, 2024. AP Alaskans likely won't need to batten down the hatches just yet. 'The pause in deformation suggests' that the shallow intrusion of magma 'over the past 17 months has stalled,' according to the agency. 'This intrusion of magma could still lead to an eruption, but gas and earthquake activity do not clearly indicate an unstable or pressurizing system.' A Spurr eruption, the AVO said, would likely be nearly identical to eruptions in 1953 and 1992, which involved explosive events that lasted several hours and produced ash clouds that traveled hundreds of miles and rained ash across southcentral Alaska. Advertisement The latter year's explosion notably blanketed Anchorage with ash, causing officials to shutter the airport. A possible Spurr eruption — which would likely originate from its side vent, called Crater Peak — would also cause mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris and ash to roar down the mountain at 200 miles per hour. 'Fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,' Haney said. Advertisement
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Huge volcano shows signs of imminent eruption after earthquake spike
Officials have detected a surge in earthquake activity at Alaska's Mount Spurr, sparking fears of a potential eruption. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported that seismic activity has returned to March levels of about 100 events per week, the same month officials warned the volcano could erupt within weeks. Recent detections of deep earthquakes suggested that magma remains active beneath the volcano. These earthquakes are caused by magma rising toward the surface, putting pressure on the surrounding rock and causing it to crack. While the AVO said that the likelihood of an eruption is gradually declining, it cautioned that 'the volcano remains at an elevated state of unrest.' 'We're not out of the woods yet, by any means,' Matt Haney, a researcher with the AVO, told Alaska Public Media on Wednesday. 'There's still earthquakes happening at Mount Spurr.' Mount Spurr lies about 78 miles from Anchorage, home to nearly 300,000 people who have begun stocking up on food and protective gear, preparing for the possibility of a sudden eruption. Dave Schneider, a US Geological Survey geophysicist in Anchorage, told Your Alaska Link: 'This sort of frustrating phase for probably a lot of people in the community that that it's either ramping up or ramping down. We're just kind of holding steady.' The volcano's summit crater has not erupted for 5,000 years, experts estimate. But its side vent, called Crater Peak, last erupted just 30 years ago. If Mount Spurr blows again, the eruption will most likely be from this side vent, Haney previously told Officials have been monitoring Mount Spurr since April 2024 when seismic activity kicked off. By October, the rate of quakes increased from an average of 30 per week to 125 per week. While the number of earthquakes have dwindled throughout this year, the activity appears to have ramped up in the last month. 'Earthquake activity beneath Mount Spurr remains elevated. Following a steady decline from late March through April, shallow has increased,' the AVO said. Scientists recently measured gas emissions from Mount Spurr and found that while the levels are a little lower than last month, they are still higher than normal. Both carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are being released from the volcano at rates above background levels, signs that magma remains active beneath the surface. The AVO noted that similar levels were observed back in 2004 to 2006, a period of unrest when Mount Spurr did not erupt. Carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are natural components of magma, released when molten rock rises toward the surface. The agency added that most magma intrusions, like those observed at Mount Spurr during the 2004 to 2006 unrest, do not lead to eruptions. However, it cautioned that a similar pause in deformation occurred in fall 2024, and magma movement could resume at any time. If the eruption does happen, Mount Spurr would spew multiple plumes of ash rising as high as 50,000 feet into the air, Haney said. Each ash-producing explosive episode would last three to four hours, and the resulting cloud could blanket the city of Anchorage and other nearby communities in a thick layer of dust. The eruption would also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris racing down the volcano's side at over 200 miles per hour, 'but fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,' Haney said. The AVO said on Wednesday that the eruption would likely be similar to those that occurred in 1953 and 1992 is still possible.' Those past eruptions involved explosive events lasting several hours, generating ash clouds that traveled hundreds of miles and caused minor ashfall, up to about a quarter-inch across southcentral Alaska, according to the agency.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Fears huge volcano is set to ERUPT amid spike in earthquakes... leaving major US city on edge
Officials have detected a surge in earthquake activity at Alaska 's Mount Spurr, sparking renewed fears of a potential eruption. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported that seismic activity has returned to March levels of about 100 events per week, the same month officials warned the volcano could erupt within weeks. Recent detections of deep earthquakes suggested that magma remains active beneath the volcano. These earthquakes are caused by magma rising toward the surface, putting pressure on the surrounding rock and causing it to crack. While the likelihood of an eruption is gradually declining, the AVO cautioned that 'the volcano remains at an elevated state of unrest.' 'We're not out of the woods yet, by any means,' Matt Haney, a researcher with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, told Alaska Public Media on Wednesday. 'There's still earthquakes happening at Mount Spurr.' Mount Spurr lies about 78 miles from Anchorage, home to nearly 300,000 people who have begun stocking up on food and protective gear, preparing for the possibility of a sudden eruption. Dave Schneider, a US Geological Survey geophysicist in Anchorage, told Your Alaska Link: 'This sort of frustrating phase for probably a lot of people in the community that that it's either ramping up or ramping down. We're just kind of holding steady.' The volcano's summit crater hasn't erupted for 5,000 years, experts estimate. But its side vent, called Crater Peak, last erupted just 30 years ago. If Mount Spurr blows again, the eruption will most likely be from this side vent, Haney previously told Officials have been monitoring Mount Spurr since April 2024 when seismic activity kicked off. By October, the rate of quakes increased from an average of 30 per week to 125 per week. While the number of earthquakes have dwindled through this year, the activity appears to have ramped up in the last month. 'Earthquake activity beneath Mount Spurr remains elevated. Following a steady decline from late March through April, shallow has increased,' the AVO said. Scientists recently measured gas emissions from Mount Spurr and found that while the levels are a little lower than last month, they are still higher than normal. Both carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are being released from the volcano at rates above background levels, signs that magma remains active beneath the surface. Mount Spurr lies about 78 miles from Anchorage, home to nearly 300,000 people who have begun stocking up on food and protective gear, preparing for the possibility of a sudden eruption The AVO noted that similar levels were observed back in 2004 to 2006, a period of unrest when Mount Spurr did not erupt. Carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are natural components of magma, released when molten rock rises toward the surface. However, the AVO has recently detected a pause in ground deformation, suggesting that the shallow magma intrusion has temporarily stalled. 'The pause in deformation suggests that the ascent of magma to shallow levels beneath the volcano over the past 17 months has stalled,' the agency shared. 'This intrusion of magma could still lead to an eruption, but gas and earthquake activity do not clearly indicate an unstable or pressurizing system.' The agency added that most magma intrusions, like those observed at Mount Spurr during the 2004 to 2006 unrest, do not lead to eruptions. However, it cautioned that a similar pause in deformation occurred in fall 2024, and magma movement could resume at any time. If the eruption does happen, Mount Spurr would spew multiple plumes of ash rising as high as 50,000 feet into the air, Haney said. Each ash-producing explosive episode would last three to four hours, and the resulting cloud could blanket the city of Anchorage and other nearby communities in a thick layer of dust. The eruption would also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris racing down the volcano's side at over 200 miles per hour, 'but fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,' Haney said. The AVO said on Wednesday that the eruption would likely be similar to those that occurred in 1953 and 1992 is still possible.' Those past eruptions involved explosive events lasting several hours, generating ash clouds that traveled hundreds of miles and caused minor ashfall, up to about a quarter-inch across southcentral Alaska, according to the agency.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
California bill seeks to place speed cameras in road construction zones
A bill under consideration in the California legislature aims to prevent Caltrans worker deaths and injuries, by placing automated speed cameras in highway construction zones. Assembly Bill 289 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would establish a pilot program that would place cameras at up to 75 construction zones in the state. Haney spoke about the measure at a news conference off Interstate 80 near Davis on Wednesday, surrounded by construction workers. "This bill is about saving lives and it's about valuing the workers who risk their lives to build California's infrastructure," he said. Haney discussed the danger highway construction workers face on the job, noting that 9,500 crashes took place in the state's work zones in 2021, leading to 73 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries. In 2023, there were more than 100 vehicle intrusions into highway work sites, which led to injuries and even deaths. "This isn't just tragic, it's preventable. And we have a responsibility to fix it and protect both workers and drivers," Haney added. Haney also noted the success of a pilot program that placed speed enforcement cameras in several cities, including San Francisco. "Speeds are going down, crashes are being reduced and behavior is changing," he said. According to the text of the measure, speeding drivers would face fines starting at $50 for driving 11 to 15 miles per hour above the posted speed limit, with increasing fines for higher violations. Drivers caught going 100 mph or faster in a work zone would receive a fine of $500. Haney said the bill includes fine reductions and payment plans for lower-income drivers. The bill prohibits the speed cameras from using facial recognition and limits data use. If approved, California would join 16 other states that have already placed speed cameras in work zones. Haney said Maryland and Pennsylvania, which already have the cameras in construction zones, have seen dramatic reductions in speeding and crashes. AB289 has passed out of three Assembly committees with bipartisan support and is headed to the Assembly floor.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
This Alaska volcano might erupt soon. Here's the chaos it could cause.
Over the past 12 months, an Alaskan volcano named Mount Spurr has become noticeably agitated: It's been swelling, quaking, and venting noxious gases. As it stands today, the evidence could point to a major explosive event on the horizon—or the mountain might just be harmlessly blowing off some steam. If an eruption were to happen, the good news is that there aren't any communities living on its slopes that would be smothered by scalding avalanches of rock and vapor. The bad news is that such an eruption would likely generate a plethora of ash—and if the wind blows to the east that day, the city of Anchorage about 80 miles away would see the worst of it. 'Ashfall is going to be a big hazard,' says Matt Haney, the scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Volcano Observatory. Though volcanic ash might sound exceptionally perilous for humans, it's less dangerous than you might thing. Instead, ash from Alaskan volcanoes poses a significant hazard for airplanes above all else, as it can quickly melt and stall their engines. An eruption at Mount Spurr, then, would not only require diverting all flights away from the region; it would also necessitate shutting down Anchorage's busy international airport, which could cause serious economic damage. Mount Spurr's hazards could extend beyond threatening airplanes. Depending on the amount of ash produced, and where it lands, it could become an issue to people, infrastructure, and the wider environment. Here's everything you need to know about why the volcano has been so restless and what to expect from an eruption. (Here's the science behind Santorini's mysterious quakes.) Mount Spurr has two key eruptive vents: one at the 11,000-foot summit, which appears to have been sealed shut for thousands of years, and one nearby, named Crater Peak, which has exploded multiple times in the past few millennia. The last eruption took place in 1992, featuring three distinct explosions. Spurr is known to exhibit earthquakes without consequence. But in late-April 2024, the quake frequency rose while the volcano began to swell up—a phenomenon where the ground literally inflates. Things quietened down in the summer before getting more agitated again in the fall. And by mid-October, with the volcano continuing to inflate and trembling rather dramatically, the Alaska Volcano Observatory issued an alert: Something unusual was going on. 'There's a magma intrusion causing the volcano to inflate, causing those earthquakes,' says Haney. The observatory changed the aviation notice from green (the volcano is acting normally) to yellow (the volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest). In other words: The volcano might be gearing up for an eruption, and its ash cloud would endanger any planes in the vicinity. Through January and February, quakes continued to be frequent (and sometimes intense), and more began to cluster beneath Crater Peak. In March, things escalated even further: both carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide began to gush out of the summit, while only carbon dioxide was detected around Crater Peak. These gases are known to escape from magma as it rises and depressurizes—and these readings indicated that magma was very close to the summit, while being somewhat deeper below Crater Peak. Despite its proximity to the summit, volcanologists were more concerned that magma was close enough to Crater Peak—which, in modern times, is the vent that ultimately explodes—to make it at least somewhat gassy. All these signals together indicated that 'the conduit beneath Crater Peak has been activated,' says Haney. As of May, things have calmed slightly. The gas emissions have persisted, but the volcanic inflation has slowed a little and the quakes are a little less frequent. Things could continue to climbdown from here on out. 'A failed eruption, where the magma stalls and does not reach the surface, as happened in 2004–2006, is also a possibility,' says David Fee, a volcanologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alternatively, things could ramp up again, ending in an explosion, likely from Crater Peak. And that would probably produce an ash cloud that would rise tens of thousands of feet into the sky. Those in Anchorage would not be in any immediate, life-threatening danger. 'You're not living on the volcano, you're not going to be inundated by a pyroclastic flow,' says Michelle Coombs, a research geologist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The problem, though, is that a Crater Peak blast, or succession of blasts, 'each lasting as long as a few hours, would produce ash clouds carried downwind for hundreds of miles and ashfall over southcentral Alaska,' says Fee. Before it falls from the sky, though, it will linger at altitude—and any planes in the region will need to be hastily diverted. Unlike the ash in wildfire smoke, it's not made of burned organic material. Volcanic ash is hard, sharp and glass-like. It's not only abrasive, but also capable of melting inside jet engines, causing them to fail. Cabin windows can be blocked up and eroded, and a plane's electronic circuitry can be disturbed. Two modern eruptions from Crater Peak—one in 1953, and the episode in 1992—both deposited ash on Anchorage. One of the 1992 explosions dumped one-eighth of an inch of ash on Anchorage, and the airport closed for 20 hours. 'It was a big deal then. If it happens today, it'll be an even bigger deal,' Haney says, noting just how much more air traffic goes through the city in 2025. (What you need to know about volcano tourism in Iceland.) Fortunately, a Spurr explosion would not be reminiscent of the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which caused the biggest shutdown of European airspace since the Second World War. An explosive episode at Crater Peak would last only a few hours—meaning the airspace would only be briefly affected. Still, Anchorage's international airport is the fourth-busiest cargo airport in the world, so any shutdown would be highly disruptive. If much of that ash does eventually descend upon Anchorage, it would certainly be unpleasant, not least because of its ominous appearance. 'It darkens the skies, it makes it turn night in the middle of day,' says Haney. And although volcanic ash rarely endangers human life, it can be problematic in several ways. 'Ash in the air is a respiratory hazard, and can also irritate exposed eyes and skin,' says Carol Stewart, a disaster environmental health specialist at Massey University in New Zealand. Vulnerable groups—the very young and the elderly, and those with pre-existing cardiovascular or respiratory conditions—may feel this irritation more strongly. Prolonged exposure may lead to hospital admissions for some, but for the most part, ash inhalation is a nuisance, not a lethal danger. As for other animals, 'ash impacts on livestock are quite similar to impacts on people in terms of eye, skin and airway irritation,' says Stewart. Unsurprisingly, if they eat ash, it can have deleterious effects on their health. 'Ash will also cover pasture so that they will need supplementary feeding, and it can contaminate their water sources.' Volcanic ash can cause power outages, either through short-circuiting electrical circuits or weighing down tree branches so much they fall onto power lines. It also often blankets rooftops and, because it's dense, it can in some rare cases cause rooftops to buckle and collapse. But that requires remarkably high volumes of ash—much higher than Spurr's typical production levels. The greatest risk ash poses may be to drivers. 'Ash on roads makes for hazardous driving conditions,' says Stewart. 'The ash leads to a loss of traction, it covers up the road markings, and it also gets lifted into the air, impairing visibility. Accidents are common after ashfall.' The air filters on cars can also quickly clog up. Because ash contains a lot of iron and aluminum, significant quantities can make water undrinkable, although not outright poisonous. The work of removing these particles from the water can cause water production to grind to a halt, while demand for water spikes as people use it to wash all the ash off their homes, cars and driveways. 'Running out of water is a much greater health risk than minor chemical changes to the water,' says Stewart. (Meet the volcanologist who changed how scientists see volcanoes.) All things considered, the disruption to air traffic is the primary hazard from an ash-heavy Spurr eruption, says Haney. Based on Crater Peak's historical explosive episodes, people in Anchorage should not be overly concerned about the other, more minor effects of the volcano's ashfall. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be prepared to deal with it. According to the U.S. Geological Service, if ashfall is forecast, residents should stay at home, move pets indoors, put vehicles under cover, and make sure to keep anyone with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions safe and close to their medical supplies. If you are caught outside, use a face mask or cloth to avoid breathing the ash in, and seek shelter. At this stage, it isn't clear if an eruption is inevitable. If scientists detected an uptick in the rate of volcanic inflation, a lot more volcanic outgassing, a significant melting of snow and ice, and a swarm of earthquakes suggesting magma was rising and effortlessly breaking rock, 'that would be a no-brainer,' says Haney. At that point, they would raise the aviation alert level to orange, indicating an increased potential of an eruption. But even then, an explosion isn't guaranteed. If one were inevitable, the timeframe would still be unclear: This intense degree of unrest could be brief, but it could also last for several weeks, or months, before an eruption occurs. One day, ash jettisoned from Mount Spurr will once again blanket Anchorage. But will that be sooner, or later? 'We're in a watching and waiting mode right now,' says Coombs.
