Alaska Volcano Observatory Scientists Lower Pavlof Volcano Alert Warning to Orange
Pavlof Volcano’s alert level is lowered to orange
Alaska's volcano - Pavlof- is one of the most active and currently showing lots of seismic activity and erupting which began late Friday, May 30th. Experts record the continuous stream and ash plume to have reached 24,000 feet above sea level, with satellite imaging showing a plume extending more than 80 km southeast of the volcano, reports The USGS.
Earlier the alert level was raised to its highest, a red alert, that indicates an imminent eruption with substantial emission of volcanic ash when it set an ash plume up to 22,000 feet on Monday that drifted as far as 50 miles to the east. However, as the most recent eruption was considered to be a low-level eruption, the alert has been lowered to an orange watch level.
KTUU reports that the AVO announced on Tuesday evening that Pavlof continues to erupt, but seismic tremors have diminished since an ash cloud shot into the air on Monday afternoon. The tremors have remained steady at the lower level for 12 hours. The levels decreased to an orange "watch" as opposed to a "warning".
The AVO continued to explain that the eruption plume had split into two parts, and the higher plume was mostly steam and gas with little ash that could threaten aircraft.
Game McGimsey, a volcanologist of the observatory explained a bit about the volcano as quoted by the Washington Times: "The 8,262-foot Pavlof Volcano is 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula, the finger of land extending southwest from the mainland toward the Aleutian Islands. Pavlof is a conical volcano, nearly symmetrical, a giveaway that its eruptions tend to be less violent than the kind that blows the tops off mountains."
The observatory does continue to warn that with the eruptions still on-going, the conditions could change suddenly so everyone must remain alert.
For more updates on the Pavlof activity, see the AVO Web site with update activity notifications here.