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Report on Pagan (United States) — 13 October-19 October 2021


Pagan

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 October-19 October 2021
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Pagan (United States) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 October-19 October 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (13 October-19 October 2021)

Pagan

United States

18.13°N, 145.8°E; summit elev. 570 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


The U.S. Geological Survey reported that ash and sulfur dioxide emissions from Pagan were last detected on 6 September. The Aviation Color Code and the Volcano Alert Level were both lowered to Unassigned on 24 September; Pagan is monitored with satellite imagery, distal geophysical data, and mariner reports and not ground-based instruments.

Geological Summary. Pagan Island, the largest and one of the most active of the Mariana Islands volcanoes, consists of two stratovolcanoes connected by a narrow isthmus. Both North and South Pagan stratovolcanoes were constructed within calderas, 7 and 4 km in diameter, respectively. North Pagan at the NE end of the island rises above the flat floor of the northern caldera, which may have formed less than 1,000 years ago. South Pagan is a stratovolcano with an elongated summit containing four distinct craters. Almost all of the recorded eruptions, which date back to the 17th century, have originated from North Pagan. The largest eruption during historical time took place in 1981 and prompted the evacuation of the sparsely populated island.

Source: US Geological Survey