Alaska Pavlof Volcano Spews Ash, Disrupting Flights and Reaching Communities (Video)

The real land of fire and ice is Alaska. The state's Pavlof Volcano has been spewing ash and lava since last week. Now, the volcano has forced regional flight cancellations and has even dusted nearby communities with ash.

Pavlof Volcano is located in the Aleutian island range, which is southwest of mainland Alaska. Since 1980, it's experienced eruptions every few years and possesses a threat score of 95 for future eruptions; we shouldn't be all that surprised that it's currently so active.

This latest spate of activity began on May 15. That's when Pavlof experienced an increase in seismic acitivity and the presence of intense elevated surface temperatures. This was followed by eruptive activity, including a spatter-fed lava flow that advanced about a third of a mile down the northern flank of the volcano.

Now, the volcano has shot ash as high as 22,000 feet into the air. This massive cloud blew eastward as the eruption continued, showing no signs of stopping. The lava has also continued pouring out of the volcano, creating massive clouds of steam as it met the snow still located on the peak, according to Reuters.

It's the clouds of ash that have caused the real problems, though. Anchorage-based regional carrier Penair had to cancel a dozen passenger and cargo flights to several remote communities after the eruption. Yet Penair is used to dealing with volcanoes; it's not unusual for the airline to cancel flights a couple of times each year due to volcanic activity.

"It's one of the situations that Mother Nature presents itself along our route structure," said Penair CEO Danny Seybert in an interview with the AP.

Yet the ash isn't only causing trouble for airlines. It could also pose possible health risks to those that live downwind of the volcano. Fine ash can be sucked into lungs, causing serious issues if you breathe it for too long.

"It's dangerous for the people downwind of it, because you don't really want to breathe in that fine ash that long," said Rick Wessels, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist, in an interview with Reuters.

Currently, seismic tremors and gas and steam emissions are continuing at Pavlof volcano. Although the acitivity to date has been characterized by relatively low-energy lava fountaining and ash emissions, more energetic explosions could occur without warning, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The observatory is continuing to monitor both Pavlof and Cleveland Volcano as they show signs of activity.

Want to see Pavlof in action? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.