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Report on Pavlof (United States) — 11 August-17 August 2021


Pavlof

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
11 August-17 August 2021
Managing Editor: Sally Kuhn Sennert

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Pavlof (United States). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 11 August-17 August 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (11 August-17 August 2021)

Pavlof

United States

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

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


AVO reported that several small daily explosions at Pavlof were recorded by seismic and infrasound sensors during 10-17 August. The vent producing the explosions was possibly near the 2007 vent location on the upper SE flank. Small ash emissions, visible in webcam images and occasionally observed by pilots, dissipated quickly and likely deposited ash no further on the upper flanks. The Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code remained at Watch and Orange, respectively.

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)