Intermittent bursts of ash from the summit of Pavlof were visible in webcam views on 5 August, prompting AVO to raise the Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code to Watch and Orange, respectively. The bursts formed diffuse plumes that rose just above the summit and drifted almost 10 km SE before dissipating. Minor daily ash emissions continued to be observed in webcam images during 5-9 August. The seismic network recorded elevated seismicity (tremor) and small explosions. Several small explosions were recorded during 8-9 August though weather clouds prevented satellite and webcam views.

Geological Summary. The most active volcano of the Aleutian arc, Pavlof is a 2519-m-high Holocene stratovolcano that was constructed along a line of vents extending NE from the Emmons Lake caldera. Pavlof and its twin volcano to the NE, 2142-m-high Pavlof Sister, form a dramatic pair of symmetrical, glacier-covered stratovolcanoes that tower above Pavlof and Volcano bays. A third cone, Little Pavlof, is a smaller volcano on the SW flank of Pavlof volcano, near the rim of Emmons Lake caldera. Unlike Pavlof Sister, Pavlof has been frequently active in historical time, typically producing 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 historical 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.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)