Even as it is one of Alaska's most active volcanoes, the Pavlof Volcano seems to have taken a breather after actively spewing ash and lava into the air over the weekend.
Experts, however, do not yet consider the explosion to be over because the 8,262-foot volcano is known to have a pattern of prolonged eruptions marked by varying intensities and pauses that could last up to weeks.
"Seismic activity at Pavlof remains at low levels since the sharp decrease on the evening of Saturday, November 15. The eruption has paused or is greatly diminished in intensity," the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) stated. "Pauses of days to weeks are common during eruptive episodes at Pavlof and increased activity could occur with little warning."
Pavlof started erupting on Nov. 12, with observers from Cold Bay, a community located 40 miles away from the volcano, seeing dark snow on the surface of the volcano. This indicates that it has erupted once again.
Situated about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof is also one of the most active volcanoes in the U.S., with nearly 50 eruptions since the mid-18th century. The eruption that began last week is the volcano's second eruption this year. The first eruption stared on May 31 and ended in late June, according to the AVO.
A lava fountain erupted from a vent just north of the volcano's summit on Nov. 12, and pilots reported seeing avalanches of rock and ash falling down the northern slope. The eruption was also marked by sporadic outbursts of ash reaching 16,000 feet into the air.
The eruption peaked on Nov. 15 with the volcano spewing ash 35,000 feet above sea level, prompting authorities to warn pilots to steer free from flying near the raging volcano.
Although Pavlof is situated in an uninhabited area, with Cold Bay being the closest community, it is located along international air routes that connect Europe, North America and Asia.
Volcanic activity waned by 7 p.m. local time on Nov. 16 but given Pavlof's patterns of pausing for days and even up to weeks during an outburst, experts said that the eruption could resume with little warning. On the same day, the aviation warning was lowered from red to orange.
"It tends to go through these dramatic ups and downs during an eruptive phase," said Michelle Coombs, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist. "It could jump up again and begin to erupt with very little notice."
