Pavlof Spewing Ash and Lava

Submitted by Chris Mokaba on Wed, 06/04/2014 - 12:00





If you go through the data of volcanic eruptions of Pavlof, an Alaskan mountain peak, then you would not be surprised to know that over the last few days, it has witnessed a blast sending ash 22,000 feet up into the air.
In fact, ash spewing made nearby skies unsafe for air travel. Volcano ash can prove detrimental for aircraft as it not only blocks pilot's visibility, but also can destroy jet engines. On Saturday, Alaska's most active volcano erupted and since then, volcano researchers have been keeping an eye on the volcanic activity.
Game McGimsey, a staff volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said for now, it is not known as to how much ash has been spewed out of the eruption. But they are sure of one thing that the ash reached quite a distance as its traces appeared 50 miles to the volcano's east post-eruption.
Cities are safe as no report has come regarding the ash falling upon towns. On Tuesday morning, a 'red' aviation warning level remained in effect but by afternoon officials lowered the level.
Pavlof, an 8,262-feet-high peak lying 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula, has made numerous eruptions over the last 200 years. Last year's blast that took place on May was so severe that it forced regional airlines to cancel flight to many communities falling in the volcano's path, including Cold Bay and King Cove.
NASA's Landsat satellite even showed lava streaming out of the volcano's peak. "We're getting a lot of pilot reports and a lot of good photos, so we're able to keep a good eye on it", affirmed observatory research geologist Michelle Coombs.