The Shiveluch (sometimes spelled Sheveluch) Volcano is the most active of the arc of volcanoes that dot northeast Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Lava domes build and collapse fairly regularly in the caldera, sending cascades of ash and debris down the slopes. In the first week of March several large ash eruptions occurred at Shiveluch. Between March 8 and March 10, ash eruptions reached altitudes of 6.1–6.4 kilometers (20,000-21,000 feet) above sea level, and the clouds of ash drifted southeast. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on March 11, the ash trail was still visible on the snowy landscape.
The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS’ full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions.
References & Resources
- Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Geological Survey. (2009, March 10). SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 4 March-10 March 2009. Global Volcanism Program Website. Accessed March 13, 2009.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.
