Indonesia’s Soputan Volcano erupted in early July 2011. As of July 2, the volcano had produced a 6-kilometer (4-mile) ash plume and deposited ash west of the volcano, the Eruptions blog reported.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on July 3, 2011. The red outline corresponds to unusually high surface temperatures detected by MODIS. The volcano sends a thick plume eastward over Laut Maluku (Molucca Sea). The plume’s brown hue suggests the presence of volcanic ash, perhaps mixed with water vapor.
Situated on the northeastern tip of Sulawesi, Soputan is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped volcano composed of alternating layers of solidified volcanic ash, hardened lava, and rocks left over from earlier eruptions. The summit reaches 1,784 meters (5,853 feet) above sea level.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
