Alaska’s Pavlof volcano erupted unexpectedly on March 27, 2016 after tremor sharply increased.
This is the volcano’s first eruption since November 2014. The tremor at Pavlof remains high, suggesting the eruption is ongoing.
Pavlof had been on the lowest alert status since January 15, 2015 after all signs of elevated unrest ceased.
However, earthquakes at the volcano sharply increased at ~3:53 pm (local time) and the eruption started about 30 minutes after the earthquakes began.
The ash plume reached 6 kilometers (20,000 feet) to possibly as high as 9 kilometers (30,000 feet).
The ash is heading north over Bristol Bay towards Anchorage, so flight diversions could be possible.
The eruption appears to have produced some lava flows. The tremors at Pavlof remain high. It is however unclear where on the volcano this eruption is.
Luckily, only around 3,000 people live within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Pavlof, so most of the hazard lies in the air traffic over Alaska.
