By Yereth Rosen
Anchorage, Alaska - A second volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands has erupted in less than a month, shooting steam and ash as high as 6 096 metres into the air, officials said on Tuesday.
The eruption on Mount Cleveland on Chuginadak Island took place 144,8 km west of Okmok Volcano where ongoing eruptions since July 12 have captured the attention of scientists and forced nearby residents to evacuate.
The initial eruption on Mount Cleveland, a volcano about 1 510 km south-west of Anchorage, occurred on Monday, showering ash on nearby fishing vessels, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a joint federal-state office that monitors Alaska's plentiful volcanoes.
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Mount Cleveland, one of Alaska's most restless volcanoes, has continued to spew clouds comprised mostly of steam and there is what appears to be a small lava flow trickling from the vent, the monitoring group said.
"It erupts so frequently that it's not a surprise when it erupts," said Peter Cervelli, research geophysicist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory, noting that Mount Cleveland, which rises to 1 730 m, erupted in 2007.
Cervelli called the proximity of the two eruptions a coincidence and said the two events are unrelated.
The events at Okmok, a 1 073-metre volcano on Umnak Island, have been more dramatic, prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory to keep staff at work around the clock.
Explosions from Okmok have recurred regularly since the initial eruption on July 12, sending steam and ash up to 9 100 m in the air and keeping the remote island's ten evacuees from returning home.
If Okmok remains true to historical patterns, eruptions there are likely to continue for weeks or even months, according to projections from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
In the fishing hub of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, located 105 km north-east of Okmok, ash has turned skies hazy and prompted air-quality advisories from the Alaska department of environmental conservation.
Airline pilots and mariners passing through the area are also under advisories to avoid the ash.
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