The latest eruption began on 15 September and continued intermittently through 3 January, when a small ash burst was observed just above the summit (BGVN 21:08-21:12). On the morning of 24 January a pilot reported weak emission of steam and possibly minor ash rising to ~4.2 km altitude, mixing with a cloud layer, and drifting SE. Very low levels of seismicity were recorded from early January through late February.

A ground observer who glimpsed the volcano on 4 February reported that the summit vent area, which had been snow-covered the previous week, was now bare. On 6 February the same observer saw a small steam plume rising from the vent area to the level of the summit. U.S. National Weather Service observers in Cold Bay (60 km SW) reported another small steam plume up to 300 m above the summit vents during 15-16 February. A similar steam plume to 600-900 m above the vents was reported by pilots on 19 February.

Geological Summary. The most active volcano of the Aleutian arc, Pavlof is a Holocene stratovolcano that was constructed along a line of vents extending NE from the Emmons Lake caldera. Pavlof and Pavlof Sister to the NE form a dramatic pair of symmetrical, glacier-covered stratovolcanoes that overlook Pavlof and Volcano bays. Little Pavlof is a smaller cone on the SW flank of Pavlof volcano, near the rim of Emmons Lake caldera. Unlike Pavlof Sister, eruptions have frequently been reported from Pavlof, typically 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 recorded 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.

Information Contacts: Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of a) U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4667, USA (URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/), b) Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320, USA, and c) Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 794 University Ave., Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.