Mt. Fitzherbert

Potential ash hazards: Wind forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), coupled with eruption models, show that any ash clouds that rise above the crater rim today would drift northward at low altitudes and northeastward to eastward at higher altitudes.

Recent observations: Good weather yesterday provided excellent conditions for field work. A new spyder with GPS and seismic sensors was deployed by helicopter near the top of the new lava dome. Early results show that it is moving upward about 1.5 meters per day and to the southeast about 5 meters per day, a bit more slowly than the last GPS deployed on the dome in mid-January. Preliminary analysis of data from a gas-sensing flight yesterday suggests that gas emissions are unchanged from recent measurements. Other work involved repairs to a radio repeater and replacement of the small window through which the DomeCam obtains images. The DomeCam lies near the mouth of the crater and the old window had become scratched as a result of numerous cleanings of ash coatings. The cliff on the south end of the new lava dome is vertical to overhanging and generating rockfalls that are accompanied by small ash clouds.