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Pavlof
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Pavlof
Description
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Ash Forecasting
Facts
Official Name:
Pavlof Volcano
Seismically Monitored:
Yes
Color Code:
GREEN
Alert Level:
NORMAL
Elevation:
2518m (8261ft)
Latitude:
55.4173
Longitude:
-161.8937
Smithsonian VNum:
312030
Pronunciation:
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Nearby Towns:
Belkofski 23 mi (37 km)
SW
King Cove 30 mi (48 km)
SW
Cold Bay 36 mi (58 km)
SW
Nelson Lagoon 49 mi (78 km)
NE
Sand Point 55 mi (89 km)
SE
Distance from Anchorage: 590 mi (950 km)
Subfeatures:
Little Pavlof
Description
From Miller and others (1998)
[1]
: "Pavlof Volcano is a largely snow-covered, cone-shaped mountain with a high ridge extending to the southwest towards the rim of Emmons Lake Caldera. The volcano is approximately 7 km in diameter and has active vents on the north and east sides close to the summit
[2]
. It is situated high on the northeastern flank of Emmons Lake Caldera along a northeast-trending alignment of vents that includes Pavlof Sister, and several intracaldera cones
[3]
. The stratovolcano is relatively undissected and is mostly Holocene in age. Pavlof lies within the Shumagin seismic gap
[4]
." The name Pavlof comes from Russian, translating to "Paul" or "Saint Paul". This volcano name was first published as "Pavlovskoi Volcan" by Captain Lutke in 1836.
Name Origin
"Pavlof Volcano" is a Russian name, meaning "Paul" or "Saint Paul," published as "Pavlovskoi Volcan" by Captain Lutke (1836), and as "Pavlovskaya Sopka" on a Russian Hydrographic Department Chart (1847) (Orth, 1971).
References Cited
[1]
Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska
, 1998
Miller, T. P., McGimsey, R. G., Richter, D. H., Riehle, J. R., Nye, C. J., Yount, M. E., and Dumoulin, J. A., 1998, Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-0582, 104 p.
title page PDF
52
intro and TOC PDF
268 KB
eastern part - Wrangell to Ukinrek Maars PDF
972 KB
central part - Chiginagak to Cleveland PDF
2,463 KB
western part - Carlisle to Kiska PDF
956 KB
references PDF
43 KB
[2]
Geological and seismological evidence of increased explosivity during the 1986 eruptions of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska
, 1991
McNutt, S. R., Miller, T. P., and Taber, J. J., 1991, Geological and seismological evidence of increased explosivity during the 1986 eruptions of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 53, n. 2, p. 86-98.
[3]
Geology of Pavlof Volcano and vicinity, Alaska
, 1955
Kennedy, G. C., and Waldron, H. H., 1955, Geology of Pavlof Volcano and vicinity, Alaska: in Investigations of Alaskan volcanoes, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1028-A, 19 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:100,000.
full-text PDF
744 KB
plate 3 PDF
9.1 MB
[4]
Shumagin seismic gap, alaska Peninsula: History of great earthquakes, tectonic setting, and evidence of high seismic potential
, 1981
Davies, J.N., Sykes, L., House, L., and Klaus, J., 1981, Shumagin seismic gap, Alaska Peninsula: History of great earthquakes, tectonic setting, and evidence of high seismic potential: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 86, p. 3821-3855.
Current Activity
No new updates for Pavlof volcano since January 23, 2026, 12:37 pm.
Recent Updates
Seismic activity decreased to background levels. Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level lowered to GREEN/NORMAL on January 21.
Jan 23rd, 2026 12:37:59 PM
Seismic unrest has not been seen since January 14; Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert Level decreased to GREEN/NORMAL.
Jan 21st, 2026 11:28:26 AM
No significant activity detected over the last day.
Jan 20th, 2026 11:40:13 AM
No significant activity detected over the last day.
Jan 19th, 2026 01:16:56 PM
No significant activity detected over the last day.
Jan 18th, 2026 10:44:14 AM
Webcams
Cold Bay - NE
Pavlof [BLHA, 1309 ft]
Pavlof [PS1A, 930 ft]
Pavlof [DOL, 1486 ft]
Webicorder
Color Code Timeline
An explanation of color codes and alert levels can be found
here
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Before an eruption
Sign up for volcanic activty alerts from the Volcano Notification System (US Geological Survey)
Ashfall & Preparedness Information
Ashfall impacts & preparedness (US Geological Survey)
Volcanic health hazards & impacts (International Volcanic Health Hazards Network)
Ash Alert! Pamphlet (AK Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management)
Volcanic Ashfall (AK Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Air Quality)
During and After an Eruption
National Weather Service Ashfall Warnings are posted here when in effect
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Ted Stevens Airport Flight Status (Anchorage)
Fairbanks Airport Flight Status
Other Useful Links
Pavlof hazard report
Citizen Science: Ashfall collection instructions
Citizen Science: IS ASH FALLING? Report your observations (yes or no!)
Ash Forecasting
Mathematical models developed by the USGS forecast various aspects of how a volcanic ash plume will interact with wind—where, how high, and how fast ash particles will be transported in the atmosphere, as well as where ash will fall out and accumulate on the ground. AVO runs these models when a volcano is restless by assuming a reasonable hypothetical eruption, to provide a pre-eruptive forecast of areas likely to be affected. During an ongoing eruption, AVO will update the forecast with actual observations (eruption start time and duration, plume height) as they become available.
View the current airborne ash cloud models for Pavlof
Ashfall thickness forecast
The Ash3d model was developed by the USGS to forecast how a volcanic ash plume will interact with wind and where ash will fall out and accumulate on the ground. AVO runs these models twice daily when a volcano is restless by assuming a reasonable
hypothetical
eruption altitude and duration. The map shows the model results of ashfall thickness for areas that are likely to be affected, if one were to occur. During an ongoing eruption, AVO will update the forecast with actual observations (eruption start time and duration, plume height) as they become available, and these plots will be automatically updated. The
National Weather Service
Anchorage Forecast Office will issue the official ashfall warning product and post them at
weather.gov/afc
THESE PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE CURRENT.
During an actual eruption, see National Weather Service forecasts of ashfall:
Ashfall Forecast
Click on the X on the graphic (upper right) to expand the map to show the map legend.
Ashfall Start Time
This map shows the modeled estimate of the time it would take for ashfall to begin following an eruption. It corresponds to the ashfall thickness forecast map shown above. This map uses the start time of either the twice-daily hypothetical model runs (time shown in the legend) or the actual eruption start time (if one were to occur). In the case of an actual eruption, the National Weather Service Anchorage Forecast Office will issue the official ashfall warning product that includes the ashfall start time and post them at
weather.gov/afc
THESE PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE CURRENT.
During an actual eruption, see National Weather Service forecasts of ashfall:
Ashfall Start Times Forecast
Click on the X on the graphic (upper right) to expand the map to show the map legend.
USGS Volcano Notification Service
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