A remote Alaska volcano has erupted 10 times in less than a month, experts say more eruptions are possible.
Ash clouds reaching as high as 35,000 feet were spewed by Bogoslof volcano.
According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a joint study between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the US Geological Survey states that 90 volcanoes have been active for the last 10,000 years, more than 50 have been active since 1760.
Most of the volcanoes like Bogoslof are located on the Aleutian Arc which forms the northern part of the pacific ring of fire. This area is shaped like a horseshoe and is frequently rocked by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Alaska volcano Pavlof has erupted in 2013, Cleveland volcano blew ash in 2011 and Redoubt volcano erupted in 2009. Bogoslof has been spewing ash intermittently for weeks.
To predict volcanic eruptions, the observatory uses gas samples, measures earthquake activity and watches for landscape deformity according to a report by Tempo.Co.
By using mathematical models, the observatory predicts how fast ash particles will be transported in the atmosphere and where the ash could fall.
As opposed to Hawaiian volcanoes which ooze lava, Alaskan volcanoes tend to explode sending ashes into the atmosphere. This ash is abrasive and can injure air passages making the old and the young susceptible if they breathe in this ash spewed by the volcano.
Ash spewed by volcanoes is a threat to airplanes. It can scrape moving parts of jet engines. Ash can clog up nozzles, combustors, and turbine parts and can cause engine failure.
Using data from the Federal Aviation Administration, the observatory states that around 80,000 large aircrafts per year passes through an area downwind to the Aleutian volcanoes.
In 1989, Redoubt volcano sent a stream of ash into the path of a KLM aircraft carrying 231 passengers. The aircraft's four engines flamed out. The plane dropped four miles before crew was able to restart engines and safely land on Anchorage according to a report by Phys Org.
