A pile of new volcano images

Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the mountain of remote sensing (or not so remote) images that get released on the internet. Over the last few days, the NASA Earth Observatory has released a bunch of images/videos of current eruptions, so I thought I'd round them all up here for you to peruse.

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Soufriere Hills releasing puffs of ash-and-steam on October 6, 2009. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory.

Four new images in the recent past:

  • A nice, clear picture of an ash-and-steam plume from Rabaul in PNG was captured by the Terra satellite's MODIS imager on September 30, 2009. The Tavurvur Crater at Rabaul has been steaming and sputtering away from the last few years, so plumes like this are not uncommon.
  • The two new domes at Chaiten were shot by the ALI on EO-1 on September 30, 2009. This image clearly shows the apron of pinkish rhyolite material surrounding the two new domes that are slowly filling the caldera through dome collapse pyroclastic flows and ash (and good, old-fashioned dome growth). The volcano is still putting out a healthy steam-and-ash plume as the eruption continues.
  • The now-thin, wispy plume from Shiveluch in Russia was spotted on October 3, 2009. However, the most impressive thing in the image is the pyroclastic apron on the south side of the volcano produced by this year's eruptions. This seems to indicate that the eruptions have been very directional in terms of the pyroclastic flows produced. You can also notice one drainage on the southeast side of the volcano is distinctly grey from ash and volcaniclastic material.
  • Finally, the ash "puffs" from Soufriere Hills on Monserrat in the West Indies were captured on October 6, 2009. These puffs reached 4-6 km / 10-12,000 feet and these shots clearly show that the volcano produced them in almost-discrete events (see above) rather than a constant ash-and-steam plume.

More like this

It's a bit hard to see from the image, but it looks as though the vegetation around Rabaul is starting to die off much like the vegetation around Chaiten.

By bruce stout (not verified) on 07 Oct 2009 #permalink

Bruce, if you use Google Earth and go to Rabaul, you will see many pictures that have been posted to the Panoramio layer. In some of these it is apparent that the vegetation is in very poor shape!

There are also lots of pictures of the volcano erupting, including a couple of the large eruption on October 7 ,2006.

Speaking of volcano images, here is a lesson on how NOT to observe a volcano. This is from Santiaguito Volcano in Guatamala.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b22_1254879004

Two mistakes:

1. Being way too close to an erupting volcano (100 feet).
2. If you are going to film an erupting volcano from up close, don't run in front of the camera and block the view.

Pretty cool video though.

I should also warn people that the web site for this video (liveleak) has some disturbing video as well as the cool videos like this, and some advertising some may find offensive. But nothing offensive in this video, unless you are offended by people getting way too close to an erupting volcano.

Nothing but extreme thrill seekers. Cool in a "I have a death wish" kind of way. Ill pass on that one :)

Thanks Bobs!

By bruce stout (not verified) on 07 Oct 2009 #permalink

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