Volcano Blog: Aleutian Volcanoes, The Aftermath

A couple of links on the three volcanoes that erupted in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska this past summer:

Eruption of 3 volcanoes has scientists asking questions.

Volcanic eruption leaves nothing behind.

The three volcanoes were Okmok, Kasatochi, and Mt. Cleveland.

The first link discusses the strange coincidence of 3 volcanoes in the same geographic area erupting at once. My own opinion is that they share the same magma chamber, or perhaps gases from a common magma source follow a branched path to the surface, much like water flowing through the many channels of a river delta.

The second link discusses the wasteland that Kasatochi Island has become since the volcano there erupted. It's currently a moonscape of dust and rock, sterile, with no life. It gives scientists a rare opportunity (the birth of Surtsey off Iceland was another) to study how plant and animal life establishes itself on a barren island.