Alaskan Volcano Erupts Throwing 20,000-Foot Tall Ash Plume Yesterday

The Pavlof Volcano in Alaska’s remote Aleutian Island chain erupted yesterday throwing a 20,000-foot high ash plume into the sky, according to the USGS.  The volcano continues to erupt today.

The volcano is located 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, AK and is 40 miles from the nearest town, Cold Bay.

Pavlof erupted at 4:18pm on Sunday and there are no reports of injuries at this time.

The USGS is reporting that the volcanic eruption led to small earthquakes they recorded.  They’ve raised the volcano alert in the area to its highest level (Red) warning of hazards to air and ground.

The USGS reports that Pavlof is 4.4 miles in diameter has erupted 40 times in the past and is the most active volcano in the Aleutian Islands.  Previous ash plumes from Pavlof has risen as high as 50,000 feet.

NOAA REPORT:

“Pavlof Volcano began erupting late Sunday afternoon and continues to erupt today. A polar orbiting satellite pass at 352am, which is able to use moonlight to see clouds, faintly shows the volcanic ash cloud moving northeast of the volcano. The lava near the volcano can be easily been seen in this imagery as well. High level ash will continue to spread well into the interior of Alaska today. The ashfall is expected to remain confined to within a 100 miles or less of the volcano. Your National Weather Service will continue to monitor the ash plume to alert aircraft of the hazards and also interests in and near the volcano for ash fall. You can stay informed through the Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory web page for aviation hazards, as well as through the Anchorage Weather Forecast Office’s web page for information on ash fall.” – NOAA, today