After coming to life in December 2010—following more than 80 years of silence—Kizimen Volcano showed no signs of slowing down in February 2011.
This false-color satellite image shows a vigorous volcanic plume streaming northeast from the summit. The white portion of the plume is likely rich with steam, while the tan plume is primarily ash. To the northwest, forests that have not yet been coated with ash are red. The ground east of Kizimen is coated in newly-fallen ash that has not yet covered by snow. Several dark streaks lie to the south of the summit—probably traces of pyroclastic flows.
The image was acquired on the morning of February 25, 2011, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard the Terra satellite. Shortly afterwards, the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reported an ash cloud extending eastwards from Kizimen at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon, using data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Robert Simmon.
