Ash Clouds And History In The Pacific Northwest
Matt Haney studies volcanoes. Haney is an assistant professor of geosciences at Boise State University. Before he came to Boise State, he worked at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage. Haney says historically, ash clouds have wrecked havoc across the globe. Including in the Pacific Northwest.
Haney: "There was a famous one in Alaska in 1989, during the eruption of Readout which is near Anchorage, it shut down the corridor between Seattle and Anchorage for the better part of a week. Similar to what we're seeing in Europe, it disrupted the local economy in Alaska and there was anxiety on the part of the airline companies. So it's something we've seen before, but nothing on the scale that we're seeing now in Europe."
Then there was Mt. Lawson in Northern California which erupted in the early 1900s, spewing ash across the region. And don't forget Mt. St. Helens.
Haney: "When Mt. Saint Helens erupted, that ash cloud was dispersed to the northeast and there was ash fall over Northern Idaho. And Mt. Saint Helens was a major tefra ash producing eruption. If ever there were another Cascade volcano eruption there would be an impact to aviation in the Pacific Northwest."
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