Logo link to homepage

Report on Pavlof (United States) — August 1988


Pavlof

Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, vol. 13, no. 8 (August 1988)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.

Pavlof (United States) New ash deposit on summit

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1988. Report on Pavlof (United States) (McClelland, L., ed.). Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, 13:8. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.SEAN198808-312030



Pavlof

United States

55.417°N, 161.894°W; summit elev. 2493 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


At 1000 on 13 August, M. Brown (FAA) observed fairly extensive ash deposits on Pavlof's flanks. From Cold Bay ~20% of the visible edifice appeared dark gray and the remainder was black. The ash had been deposited since the volcano was last observed on 7 August. A wispy dark plume rose <300 m from the NE summit vent. The next day at 0740, Peninsula Airways pilot Gary Joseph reported that the volcano was covered with white snow and no ash or steam was being emitted.

Geological Summary. The most active volcano of the Aleutian arc, Pavlof is a Holocene stratovolcano that was constructed along a line of vents extending NE from the Emmons Lake caldera. Pavlof and Pavlof Sister to the NE form a dramatic pair of symmetrical, glacier-covered stratovolcanoes that overlook Pavlof and Volcano bays. Little Pavlof is a smaller cone on the SW flank of Pavlof volcano, near the rim of Emmons Lake caldera. Unlike Pavlof Sister, eruptions have frequently been reported from Pavlof, typically Strombolian to Vulcanian explosive eruptions from the summit vents and occasional lava flows. The active vents lie near the summit on the north and east sides. The largest recorded eruption took place in 1911, at the end of a 5-year-long eruptive episode, when a fissure opened on the N flank, ejecting large blocks and issuing lava flows.

Information Contacts: J. Reeder, ADGGS.