A volcano on a remote Alaskan island has "abruptly erupted" - sending plumes of ash more than 20,000ft into the air and triggering a flight warning.
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The Pavlof Volcano, located on the Aleutian Islands, began erupting on Sunday afternoon, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
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CNN said that a volcano alert warning remained in effect on Monday morning, and the aviation warning colour code remained red, its highest level.
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Pavlof Volcano Eruption over Aleutian Islands in Alaska #Pavlof #volcano pic.twitter.com/jofS9gFkwY
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& mdash; Colt Snapp (@Colt_Snapp) March 28, 2016
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Images of the volcano were captured by Colt Snapp, a passenger on a Penair flight from Dutch Harbor to Anchorage in Alaska yesterday evening. He said the pilot flew closer to let passengers get a better look.
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"Pavlof Volcano Eruption over Aleutian Islands in Alaska," he wrote on Twitter.
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Pavlof's eruption plume, 4:58 pm March 27, 2016. Photo courtesy of Nikita Robinson.
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https://t.co/EFMcIK0rE7 pic.twitter.com/v8hh5TeJXv
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& mdash; Alaska AVO (@alaska_avo) March 28, 2016
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Ash was reportedly moving north after the eruption, according to the volcano observatory. Seismic activity was also reported after the quake.
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The volcano, which is located about 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted at 4.18pm. local time. It last erupted in November 2014.
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The United States Geological Survey has raised the volcano alert level to "Warning" and the aviation warning to "Red".
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The agency says the volcano, which is about 4.4 miles in diameter, has had 40 known eruptions and "is one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc".
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Pavlof: Eruption with little precursory activity. Ash cloud to 20,000 ft ASL Going to RED/WARNING See
https://t.co/kRbtj8jahq
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& mdash; Alaska AVO (@alaska_avo) March 28, 2016
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It said that during a previous eruption in 2013, ash plumes rose 27,000 feet. Other eruptions have generated ash plumes as high as 49,000 feet.
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The community closest to the volcano is Cold Bay, which is about 37 miles southwest of it.
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The first recorded ascent of Pavlof Volcano was on June 27, 1928
Alaska volcano 'abruptly erupts' and sends ash 20,000ft into the sky
Andrew Buncombe
The Independent | Mar 28, 2016, 11.34 PM IST