Great Sitkin Erupts!

Great Sitkin Volcano sits on aptly named Great Sitkin Island in the Aleutian island chain of Alaska. The Aleutian Islands make up the northernmost point of the Pacific Ring of Fire and contain 57 volcanoes. 

On May 25, 2021, the Great Sitkin volcano erupted majorly for the first time in 47 years. It produced an ash cloud that spewed 15,000 feet above sea level. This uninhabited island still managed to disrupt air travel near it for a time. 

The nearby city of Adak, on the next island over, saw and heard the eruption that occurred at about 9 pm, local time. It lasted for about a minute and has mostly quieted down. Since the eruption it continues to spurt steam clouds, but no major activity. 

Volcano alerts have four levels: green, yellow, orange and red. The intensity of the alert being the highest at red. When Great Sitkin was erupting it was at a Red Warning level, it has now been downgraded to a Yellow level. Yellow basically means that is behaving abnormally and exhibiting signs of unrest. Time will tell if it will stay quiet for another 47 years. 

Photo Credit: Alaska Volcano Observatory

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