Sarah Palin's Home Threatened by Active Volcano

Alaska is being threatened with a volcano and its happening near Sarah Palin home.

The Redoubt Volcano is grumbling a scientists say it could blow soon. The volcano is just outside of Anchorage and about 100 miles from Wasilla, Alaska where Sarah Palin lives.

Above is a picture of the eruption in 1989. Scientist believe the ring, that makes it look like a nuclear bombd went off, is actually the snow and ice that vaporized with the initial blast. The eruption actually lasted five months, but the initial blast was the most violent and dangerous.



That initial blast was on December 14, 1989, an explosive eruption sent a column of ash and gas more than 10 km (6 miles) into the atmosphere. Over the next two days, additional explosive eruptions spread ash to the northeast, disrupting airline traffic as far away as south Texas and other activity throughout south central Alaska.

According to APnews, "Hardware stores and auto parts shops scored a post-holiday run of business this week as Anchorage-area residents stocked up on protective eyewear and masks ahead of a possible eruption of Mount Redoubt. Monitoring earthquakes underneath the 10,200-foot Redoubt Volcano about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory warned that an eruption was imminent, sending experienced Alaskans shopping for protection against a dusty shower of volcanic ash that could descend on south-central Alaska."

Redoubt Volcano, which looms some 3,108 meters (10,200 feet) over a sparsely populated area some 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the city of 280,000 people, has been showing more seismic activity than normal over the past five days.

"Seismicity levels have risen within the last eight hours. Redoubt remains at aviation color code 'orange,' and volcano alert level 'watch,'" the Alaska Volcano Observatory said in a statement, adding staff were on a 24-hour watch.

The orange alert is to warn planes of possible dangers if the volcano erupts. The four engines of a Boeing 747 became clogged in 1989 when the plane flew over the cloud of ash spewed out by Redoubt during its last eruption.

The pilot managed to restart the engines and save all 231 passengers.

An erupting volcano can release plumes of ash several kilometers (miles) high, but the direction of the cloud and whether Anchorage or Wasilla would be threatened depends on the wind.

Depending on the size of the eruption, Governor Sarah Palin could once again be thrust onto the national stage as she sees her state through a potential emergency. You can bet that the 25 hour news operations will cover her news conference live throughout the coverage of the volcano