Alaska Volcano Erupts, Sends Ashes 20,000 Feet High

A volcano in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands erupted on Sunday afternoon, sending ashes to 20,000 feet in the air. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the Pavlof Volcano, situated at about 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska erupted at 4:18 pm on Sunday.

The tremors were felt in the ground and the volcanic ashes were spewed to very high altitude raising the USGS volcano and aviation alert to "Warning" and "Red" respectively. The agency has reported that the previous eruption took place in 2013 and then, the ashes were sent to an altitude of up to 27,000 feet.

According to the agency, the Pavlof Volcano has a diameter of around 4.4 miles and "is one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc." The volcano has had 40 known eruptions in recorded history and is very active in the Alaskan Aleutian islands.

One its most powerful eruptions that resulted to ashes reaching as high as 49,000 feet. However, the active volcano is not close to any busy habitat region. The closest settlement from the Pavlof Volcano is at Cold Bay which is about 37 miles away from the volcanic region.

The Aleutian Arc is situated in the U.S. state of Alaska and is consists of a large number of active and dormant volcanoes that are formed due to subduction along the Aleutian Trench. The name is similar to Aleutian Islands and extends through the Alaska Peninsula following the Aleutian Range to the Aleutian Islands.

Although there is no significant danger due to the volcano's eruption, the USGS is keeping a close eye to the eruption. It has reported that the eruption may affect aviation over the Alaskan region and necessary precautions have already been taken by the authorities. There is no report of any casualties due to the eruption of the Pavlof Volcano.