Redoubt is rapidly captivating the country

I am surprised as anyone how the public has become captivated by this geologic drama unfolding at Redoubt. Headlines about the volcano are popping up everywhere from CNN to the MSNBC to Slashdot to Popular Science – yes, even the nerds are enthralled, which might be the reason that the AVO servers are overloaded today (and that Eruptions has set new records in visits each day for the last 4 days). The stories are pretty typical: everyone is preparing/panicking, the volcano might have a giant eruption, and so on. This is rapidly becoming the most eagerly anticipated (is that the right word?) eruption in the US in the last 20 years. However, even with all this attention, there is little change in the status at Redoubt: AVO says that the volcano is likely to erupt in the next “days to weeks” with all the telltale signs there: increased seismicity, increased gas emissions, evidence of increased heat near the vent.

nnThe very latest (2009-01-30 07:57:51) from AVO isn

“Seismicity at Redoubt is varying in intensity but is still well above background. We have seen higher amplitude seismicity for the past several hours but appears to be subsiding a bit at this time.”

nSo, the wait goes on. I wonder who will get the first interview when the volcano (see above photo, thanks to Brandon Browne at Cal State Fullerton) decided to erupt (if it does erupt at all).nnUPDATE 14:20 PM Pacific 1/30/2009: AVO is reportingn

“Seismicity at Redoubt has increased markedly over the last 20 minutes. Clear webcam views and pilot reports indicate that the volcano has not yet erupted.”

nSounds like they could be thinking we’re entering the final phase. Stay tuned!