Klyuchevskaya Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula remains active. The Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported both explosive ash eruptions and effusive lava eruptions during the first week of March, 2010. In this false-color satellite image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), a thin plume extends east of Klyuchevskaya’s summit. Dark ash covers the slopes of the volcano, while white snow blankets the surrounding land.
According to the Joint Air Force & Army Weather Information Network, an eruption on March 9 reached 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). It's likely that much of the ash came from that event. Gray clouds (darker than the brilliant snow) are just to the west of Klyuchevskaya. In the large image, eruptive activity is also apparent at Bezymianny (to the south) and Shiveluch (near the northern edge).
References & Resources
- Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team. (2010, March 5.) Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity. Accessed March 10, 2010.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, based on data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Robert Simmon.
