is an explosion of lava and gas from a volcanic vent.
Alaska is the largest state in the U.S. and has 52 active volcanoes. Some haven't been a problem for years, while others are clearly getting lots of attention.
Rebecca Palsha reports on Alaska's Pavlof Volcano and what it means for residents of the state.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
(nats)
REMEMBER THIS?
(nats)
THIS IS ANCHORAGE IN 2009 AFTER MOUNT REDOUBT ERUPTED.
ASH WAS THE AIR, PEOPLE WERE BUYING ALL THE FACE MASKS IN TOWN.
IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST VOLCANO EVENTS IN ALASKA.
"You see the village of cold bay and in the background the eruption of pavlof."
UNTIL NOW.
"This eruption is the biggest eruption in ak since the eruption of redoubt in 2009."
THE ASH PLUM GOT AS HIGH AS 37-THOUSAND FEET.
(nats)
AND, PAVLOF IS A VOLCANO WITH A HISTORY.
"Pavlof is one of the most frequently active volcanoes in ak it has erupted more than 40 times in the last several hundred years. The last eruption was in nov of 2014."
THE ASH PLUM, SCIENTISTS SAY, IS 400 MILES NORTH EAST OF THE VOLCANO, AND WEST OF ANCHORAGE.
WHICH MEANS FOR NOW ANCHORAGE WON'T GET THE ASH, BUT THE INTERIOR COULD.
"Has put out ash continuously since then in the last number of hour the rate of shaking or trembles has decreased somewhat you can see in the web cam that ash is still coming out of the volcano."
A BUSY VOLCANO, WITH A HISTORY, OF BLOWING ITS TOP.
REBECCA PALSHA CHANNEL 2 NEWS.
Instructional Links
Map: Alaska Volcano Activity, Current Activity
https://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/
Website Article: Smithsonian Institution's: Global Volcanism Program
http://www.volcano.si.edu/learn_galleries.cfm
Interactive Online Resources: Annenberg Learner, Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?
http://www.learner.org/interactives/volcanoes/entry.html
Website Article: Nova, Anatomy of a Volcano
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/volcano-parts.html
Interactive Activity: PBS LearningMedia, Explore Alaska's Volcanoes