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Report on Pavlof (United States) — 13 October-19 October 2021


Pavlof

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
13 October-19 October 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, 13 October-19 October 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (13 October-19 October 2021)

Pavlof

United States

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

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


AVO reported that the eruption at Pavlof continued during 13-19 October and was focused at a vent on the upper SE flank, near the location of the 2007 vent. Seismicity remained elevated. Two small explosions were recorded in infrasound and seismic data on both 14 and 16 October. A few explosions were recorded during 17-18 October; ash deposits on the flanks were visible in satellite images. Cloudy conditions obscured satellite and webcam images most days. 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)