Alaska’s Pavlof Volcano Erupts, Sends Ash 20,000 Feet In The Air, Triggers Tremors

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) raised the alert level to “warning” after the Pavlof Volcano on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted Sunday afternoon, sending ash 20,000 feet into the air. The aviation warning was revised to “red,” the highest level, while tremors were felt on the ground following the eruption, Associated Press (AP) reported.

The USGS said, according to AP, that the volcano has had 40 eruptions so far and that it is “one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc.” The volcano is about 4.4 miles in diameter and its previous eruption in 2013 sent ash plumes as high as 27,000 feet. The report by AP added that some eruptions have sent plumes up as high as 49,000 feet.

The closest community near the Pavlof volcano is Cold Bay, about 37 miles southwest of it, AP reported.

“As of 4:18 pm AKDT (Alaska Daylight Time) ... ash was reportedly moving northward from the volcano,” the staff from Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) wrote on their website, according to Alaska Dispatch News, adding: “Seismicity began to increase from background levels at about 3:53 pm ... with quick onset of continuous tremor, which remains at high levels.”

The Alaska Dispatch News also added that there were several eruptions in 2014, prompting alerts at the time, before it died down again.