Batu Tara remained active in late July 2009. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this photo-like image of the volcano releasing a faint plume on July 27, 2009. The distinct segments of the plume suggest that the volcano has released ash and/or steam in pulses. The plume blows toward the northwest over the Flores Sea.
Batu Tara is a stratovolcano composed of layers of lava, ash, and rocks ejected by earlier eruptions. The volcanic island sits some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Lomblen (or Lembata) Island. Batu Tara’s first historical eruption began in the mid-nineteenth century. More recently, the volcano began a period of intermittent ash- and steam-plume activity in 2007.
NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
