Redoubt Erupts

-Plumes of steam rise from a vent in the summit crater of Redoubt Volcano--a glacier-covered peak 110 miles (177 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska--on March 21, a day before the volcano began a series of powerful eruptions.

Redoubt, which had last erupted in 1989-90, rumbled to life this January, sending out steam and gas from its vents and prompting geologists to keep a close eye on the volcano's activity.

When the Alaska peak began erupting late on March 22, 2009, it sent plumes of smoke and ash about 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) into the sky. Nearby towns are seeing ashfall, and some flights out of Anchorage have been canceled.