Volcanoes Erupting Around the World
BY TIM WALL
MAY 16, 2013
Volcanoes are rumbling in both the Arctic and the tropics of North America, while other eruptions continue on an Italian island and in the frozen tundra of Russia.
In Alaska, twin volcanoes threaten to unleash more of their fury. Volcano fanatics are salivating over images of Pavlof volcano’s ash and steam plume. The plume rose to approximately 20,000 above sea level and have created a diffuse plume trailing 100 miles downwind to the northeast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Volcano Observatory. Pilots recently spotted lava trickling down the northwest flank of the 8,261 feet (2,518 meter) volcano. Residents of Cold Bay, 37 miles away, reported a visible glow from the volcano’s summit last night.
Nearby Cleveland volcano hasn’t erupted yet, and USGS monitoring equipment hadn’t picked up any explosions as of yesterday evening. However, the USGS warns that an eruption of blocks of stone and ash could occur with little or no warning.
USGS officials warned aviators of the dangers of the incipient eruptions and set aviation alert level to “orange.”