Pavlof volcano, Alaska's most active volcano, is spewing lava and ash into the air prompting authorities to warn of the danger the eruption poses to airplanes.
The 8,262-foot volcano sits in a relatively uninhabited area with the closest community located about 40 miles away. Thus, the eruption poses no immediate threats of burning homes and properties. Nonetheless, the volcano is situated along international routes that connect Asia, Europe and North America and its eruption could have an impact on the safety of aviation.
Authorities have warned planes to avoid the airspace near the raging volcano as its spits ash 30,000 feet above sea level. On Saturday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) raised Pavlof's alert level from "watch" to "warning"
"The eruption of Pavlof Volcano that began on November 12 has intensified and the Aviation Color Code was raised to RED and the Volcano Alert Level to WARNING earlier today," AVO said in an update. "Satellite, pilot reports, and wind data show the ash cloud moving towards the northwest over the Bering Sea."
Observers from Cold Bay, the community nearest the volcano, saw dark snow on the volcano's surface on Wednesday which indicates that the volcano has erupted again. U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Volcano Observatory geophysicist David Schneider said that Pavlof is considered the most subtle of all volcanoes in Alaska. Regardless that there are seismic monitoring systems on it, magma can still make its way up without causing any earthquake.
By afternoon on Wednesday, the eruption has intensified and continued with the volcano ejecting lava from a vent near the summit resulting in ash clouds spanning about 125 miles at a comparatively low altitude of about 16,000 feet.
The eruption is also marked by small avalanches of hot rock which could possibly cause local mud flows, but Schneider said that these would probably be minor. It is not clear when the eruption would stop as the volcano's eruption can last weeks and sometimes even months with different levels of intensity.
"It could go on for days to weeks, even months, with various levels of activity," Schneider said, describing the eruption as typical Pavlof.
The Pavlof volcano, which is which is located about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, is one of the most active volcanoes in the United States since 1980. It has over 40 recorded eruptions including those that occurred earlier this year and last year.
