Alaskan volcano has upsurge of activity

The Pavlof Volcano became quieter Wednesday after a surge of activity that sent an ash and steam plume 5 miles up, the Alaska Volcano Observatory said. The observatory posted an orange-coded watch. On Tuesday, Pavlof, one of the most active volcanos in the United States in the past 30 years, had its most vigorous day of the current eruption, observers said. Some flights serving the Aleutian Islands were re-routed or canceled because of the danger of volcanic ash, KTUU.com reported. Pavlov is at the western end of the Alaska Peninsula, which extends southwest and ends in the Aleutian Island chain. It is part of the Aleutian mountain range. On Tuesday, the observatory reported ash falling 30 miles away. On Wednesday, while pilots reported seeing a plume extending to well over 20,000 feet, there were no reports of ash on the ground.