Alaskan Volcano Under Careful Watch After Eruption Raises Concerns

An active volcano 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska is under careful watch after erupting — for the third time this century — on May 13.

The Pavlof Volcano sent an ash plume 22,000 feet in the air on Monday; the plume then drifted about 50 miles east. In response, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) raised the aviation warning in the area to red, the highest level. Volcanic ash can harm jet engines, and even cause them to shut down mid-flight

By Tuesday, the eruption plume was below an altitude of 20,000 feet. The AVO then lowered the warning to orange — back down to a "watch" level instead of a "warning" — after monitoring it for 12 hours, and only noting weak tremors associated with the eruption. Read more...