Eruption on Mount Pavlof causes severe disruption to flights over Alaska.

Mount Pavlof, a 2.5 km high stratovolcano (cone-shaped volcano made up of layers of ash and lava) on the Alskan Peninsula, underwent a significant eruption slightly before 4 pm local time on Sunday 27 March 2016, producing an ash column 11.3 km high that drifted 650 km to the northeast. There are no reports of any ashfalls affecting local communities (which are mostly to the southwest of the volcano), however the ash cloud has cut across flight paths over Alaska, causing severe disruption to flights, as planes cannot safely approach such clouds. People in the area have also reported seeing lava fountains on the volcano. This is the first major eruption on Pavlof since November 2014.

Ash column over Mount Pavlof at about 7.00 pm on 27 March 2016. Colt Snapp/Twitter.

Pavlof is located between Cold Bay and Pavlof Bay near the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula. It has several active vents on its north and east flanks, it's remoteness and inaccessibility meaning that it is usually hard to tell from exactly which of these an individual eruption is occurring. Pavlof is considered to be one of America's most active volcanoes, and though it is located in a remote spot with no settlement close by, it still presents a serious threat to air-traffic.

 The approximate location of Mount Pavlof. Google Maps.

Volcanic ash is extremely hazardous to aircraft in a number of ways. At its most obvious it is opaque, both visually and to radar. Then it is abrasive, ash particles physically scour aircraft, damaging components and frosting windows. However the ash is most dangerous when it is sucked into jet engines, here the high temperatures can melt the tiny silica particles, forming volcanic glass which then clogs engine. When this happens the only hope the aircraft has is to dive sharply, in the hope that cold air passing through the engine during the descent will cause the glass to shatter, allowing the engine to be restarted. Obviously this is a procedure that pilots try to avoid having to perform.

The volcanoes of the Alaskan Peninsula and Aleutian Islands are fed by magma rising from the Pacific Plate, which is being subducted beneath the North American Plate to the south along the Aleutian Trench. As the subducting plate sinks into the Earth it is subjected to enormous heat and pressure, causing more volatile minerals to melt. These then rise through the overlying North American plate as magma, fueling the Alaskan volcanoes.

How the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate fuels the volcanoes of Alsaska. Alaska Volcano Observatory.

See also...

Eruptions on Mount Pavlof, on the Alaskan Peninsula.                                                  Mount Pavlof, a 2.5 km high stratovolcano began erupting on Saturday 31 May 2014, for the first time since the preceding September, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. This...

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake in the Aleutian Islands.                                                         The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake at a depth of 33.5 km to the south of the Andreanof...

Eruption on Mount Veniaminof. Mount Veniaminof, an Alaskan volcano which has been experiencing low level activity since June, erupted suddenly on Friday 30 August, sending a column of ash 4.8 km into the air, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. There is no direct danger to anybody...

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Eruptions on Mount Pavlof, on the Alaskan Peninsula.

Mount Pavlof, a 2.5 km high stratovolcano began erupting on Saturday 31 May 2014, for the first time since the preceding September, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. This was initially detected as a sharp rise in temperature in thermal satellite images, and was later confirmed by observations from a pilot who reported an ash plume rising 2.0-2.5 km above the summit of the volcano and drifting to the north. Incandescent glowing was seen in the crater of Pavlof overnight between Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June, and a 3.5 km ash plume seen over the volcano in the morning, which drifted about 40 km on the wind. A small lava flow was spotted on the north flank of the volcano, along with what appeared to be several small lahars (floods of ash-laden water). On Monday 2  June an ash column was observed rising 6.7 km above the summit and drifting about 80 km to the east, and considerable seismic (Earthquake) activity was recorded around the volcano.

Eruption on Mount Pavlof, Alaska, on 2 June 2014. Christopher Diaz/northernXposed Photography/Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Pavlof is located between Cold Bay and Pavlof Bay near the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula. It has several active vents on its north and east flanks, it's remoteness and inaccessibility meaning that it is usually hard to tell from exactly which of these an individual eruption is occurring. Pavlof is considered to be one of America's most active volcanoes, and though it is located in a remote spot with no settlement close by, it still presents a serious threat to air-traffic.

The approximate location of Mount Pavlof. Google Maps.

Volcanic ash is extremely hazardous to aircraft in a number of ways. At its most obvious it is opaque, both visually and to radar. Then it is abrasive, ash particles physically scour aircraft, damaging components and frosting windows. However the ash is most dangerous when it is sucked into jet engines, here the high temperatures can melt the tiny silica particles, forming volcanic glass which then clogs engine. When this happens the only hope the aircraft has is to dive sharply, in the hope that cold air passing through the engine during the descent will cause the glass to shatter, allowing the engine to be restarted. Obviously this is a procedure that pilots try to avoid having to perform.

The volcanoes of the Alaskan Peninsula and Aleutian Islands are fed by magma rising from the Pacific Plate, which is being subducted beneath the North American Plate to the south along the Aleutian Trench. As the subducting plate sinks into the Earth it is subjected to enormous heat and pressure, causing more volatile minerals to melt. These then rise through the overlying North American plate as magma, fueling the Alaskan volcanoes.

How the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate fuels the volcanoes of Alsaska. Alaska Volcano Observatory.

See also...

 Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake in the Aleutian Islands.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 7.0...

 Eruption on Mount Veniaminof.

Mount Veniaminof, an Alaskan volcano which has been experiencing low level activity since June, erupted suddenly on Friday 30 August, sending a column of ash 4.8 km into the air...

 Further eruptions on Mount Pavlof.

Mount Pavlof, an active volcano on the Alaska Peninsula, which has been erupting intermittently since mid-May 2013, underwent a sharp...

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Further eruptions on Mount Pavlof.

Mount Pavlof, an active volcano on the Alaska Peninsula, which has been erupting intermittently since mid-May 2013, underwent a sharp increase in seismic activity on 24 June, accompanied by an increase in explosive eruptions, ash and lava production, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. On 25 June it produced an ash column 8.5 km high, which drifted to the southwest, causing an ashfall in King Cove, 48 km away. Since then there has been only minor ash and lava production on the volcano, but infra-red satellite images are still showing a strong thermal signal, suggesting the presence of a large magma body with the potential to trigger further eruptions.

Eruption on Mount Pavlof. MSN.

Pavlof is a 2500 m high, 7 km wide stratovolcano (cone-shaped volcano) between Cold Bay and Pavlof Bay near the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula. It has several active vents on its north and east flanks, it's remoteness and inaccessibility meaning that it is usually hard to tell from exactly which of these an individual eruption is occurring. Pavlof is considered to be one of America's most active volcanoes, and though it is located in a remote spot with no settlement close by, it still presents a serious threat to air-traffic.

The volcanoes of the Alaskan Peninsula and Aleutian Islands are fed by magma rising from the Pacific Plate, which is being subducted beneath the North American Plate to the south. As the subducting plate sinks into the Earth it is subjected to enormous heat and pressure, causing more volatile minerals to melt. These then rise through the overlying North American plate as magma, fueling the Alaskan volcanoes.

See also Volcanic activity on Mount Veniaminof, Eruption on Mount Pavlof, Eruption on Mount Cleveland, Earthquake off the coast of Alaska and Seismic activity on Little Sitkin.

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Eruption on Mount Pavlof.

Mount Pavlof, a volcano on the Alaskan Peninsula, began erupting at about 8.00 am local time (4.00 pm GMT) on Monday 13 May 2012, for the first time since 2007, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, which detected a sharp rise in seismic activity combined with a strong thermal signal detected by Satellite. The following day aerial observations recorded seeing fresh lava on the flanks of the mountain and small amounts of steam and ash emitting from the crater. On 15 May a fresh round of seismic activity was accompanied by a column of ash and steam that rose 6000 above the summit, and incandescence around the crater that could be seen from Cold Bay, 60 km to the southwest. This has persisted, drifting 100 km to the southeast on 16 May. Fountains of lava have also been observed, and lava is reported to be flowing on the volcano's northwest flank.

Eruption on Pavlof Volcano, 16 May 2013. Rachel Kremer/Alaska Volcano Observatory/AP.

Pavlof is a 2500 m high, 7 km wide stratovolcano (cone-shaped volcano) between Cold Bay and Pavlof Bay near the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula. It has several active vents on its north and east flanks, it's remoteness and inaccessibility meaning that it is usually hard to tell from exactly which of these an individual eruption is occurring. Pavlof is considered to be one of America's most active volcanoes, and though it is located in a remote spot with no settlement close by, it still presents a serious threat to air-traffic.

The volcanoes of the Alaskan Peninsula and Aleutian Islands are fed by magma rising from the Pacific Plate, which is being subducted beneath the North American Plate to the south. As the subducting plate sinks into the Earth it is subjected to enormous heat and pressure, causing more volatile minerals to melt. These then rise through the overlying North American plate as magma, fueling the Alaskan volcanoes.

See also Eruption on Mount Cleveland, Earthquake off the coast of Alaska, Seismic activity on Little Sitkin, Seismic activity on Mount Spurr, Alaska and Eruption on Mount Kanaga.

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