For the past several weeks Pavlof has been producing columns 2,100-2,400 m high, carried NE up the Alaska Peninsula. Weather conditions commonly prevent observation of the volcano, but on 26 October it was active for 30 minutes of the hour that it was visible. On 31 October, for 1.5 hours, "lava" was reported streaming down the N side of the cone; this may have been a mud flow.

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: P. Sventek, USAF, Cold Bay.