newsminer.com

Ever since Mount Redoubt rumbled back to life in January, I've been keeping an eye on the volcano's activity. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has an excellent web site, although it tends to get bogged down during eruptions because so many people are trying to log in at one time.

The folks at the observatory also send out updates via Twitter. That's where I've been getting most of my information so I can update the News-Miner Web site. I also have several friends on Facebook who are also keeping a close eye on the eruptions, so if I miss a tweet, I'm sure to see a mention on Facebook or via e-mail. Redoubt also has its own fan page on Facebook.

When the volcano is actively erupting, updates are sent out via Twitter every couple of hours or when conditions changed rapidly. Now that things have quieted down for the moment -- the volcano is still erupting, but not explosively, the staff is linking to photos of the volcano, webcams and answering common questions about the volcano and the AVO itself. The photos alone are amazing. The one above is an ash and steam cloud from Redoubt that was taken on March 31 from Cannery Row on the Kenai Peninsula by Neil Sutton.

The Anchorage Daily News recently published a story about how the Internet has made Redoubt a global media phenomenon. Read it here.