Effects of the 1966-1968 eruptions of Mt Redoubt on the flow of the Drift Glacier
Sturm M, Benson C, Mackeith P. Effects of the 1966-1968 eruptions of Mt Redoubt on the flow of the Drift Glacier. Geophysical Institute. University of Alaska. Fairbanks, AK
Mount Redoubt, a volcano located west of Cook Inlet in Alaska, erupted from 1966 to 1968. This eruptive cycle removed about 6 x 101 m3 of glacier ice from the upper part of Drift Glacier and decoupled it from the lower part during a sequence of j6kulhlaups which originated in the Summit Crater and flooded Drift River. The same events blanketed the lower part of the glacier with sand and ash, reducing ice ablation. Normal snowfall, augmented by intense avalanching, regenerated the upper part of the glacier by 1976, 8 years after the eruptions. When the regenerated glacier connected with the rest of Drift Glacier, it trigger ed a kinematic wave of thickening ice accompanied by accelerating surface velocities in the lower part of the glacier. Surface velocities increased by an order of magnitude and were accompanied by thickening of 70 m or more. At the same time, parts of the upper glacier thinned 70 m. The glacier appears to be returning to its pre-eruption equilibrium condition.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Sturm, Matthew; Benson, Carl; Mackeith, Peter
- Publisher
- Geophysical Institute. University of Alaska
- Units
- LACL
- Keywords
- Drift Glacier AK, Glaciers, Impacts, Physical Sciences, Redoubt Volcano AK, Volcanic Eruptions