Alaska volcano erupts spewing ash over 10,000m high; aviation alert raised to red

Ash can harm and stop jet engines. Ash from southwest Alaska volcanos is a threat airliners operating between North America and Asia when a cloud rises above 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).

An Alaska volcano that has been active for nearly six months has erupted again.

Representative Image: The 2016 eruption of Pavlof in Alaska also had significant impact on aviation. (Facebook/ Alaska Volcano Observatory)

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says Bogoslof (BOH-gohs-lawf) Volcano in the Aleutian Islands erupted at 2.16 pm on Sunday and sent a cloud of ash at least 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) high. The eruption lasted 55 minutes.

After the eruption, the Aviation Color Code was raised to red, the highest level.

The agency says a person on nearby Unalaska Island reports seeing a large white-gray mushroom cloud form over Bogoslof, with ash falling out to the west.