Remote Alaska Volcano Begins Erupting

A volcano is erupting on a remote, uninhabited Alaska island.

John Power with the Alaska Volcano Observatory says the eruption at Cleveland Volcano is a slow effusion of magma that is forming a lava dome, and not an explosive eruption that generates large ash plumes.

Power said Tuesday that so far, this eruption is restricted to just the summit crater, and at this point is not a concern to aircraft.

The eruption was confirmed by satellite imagery.

Officials last week raised the alert level after the lava dome was seen growing from 131 feet to 164 feet.

There is no real-time seismic network at the volcano, located in the Aleutian Islands 939 miles southwest of Anchorage. Officials are not able to track local earthquake activity related to volcanic unrest.