Cleveland Volcano sends up 15,000-foot ash plume, Airlines on High Alert, Alaska - 30th Dec 2011

Alaskan scientists and air carriers are on alert as one of the state’s volcanoes belched a monstrous ash plume 15,000 feet in the air Thursday.

Cleveland Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands sent up an ash cloud that prompted scientists to increase the alert level for commercial aircraft traffic, as an eruption could happen soon.

Once plumes reach 20,000 feet, the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration really start to worry.

Cleveland Volcano's last major eruption was in 2001. It has had bursts of activity nearly every year since then and the ash cloud Thursday was not out of character.

Scientists say that while the giant plume isn’t unexpected, the volcano’s remote location on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands makes it difficult to monitor. Read More