August 14, 2009
On August 14, 2009, Rabaul Volcano on the northeastern tip of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain released a volcanic plume. The plume blew toward the northwest along the coast of New Ireland and formed a faint but discernible swirl over the Bismarck Sea. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture the same day.
Rabaul is a pyroclastic shield volcano with a low, broad shape resembling an ancient warrior shield. The volcano formed from broken rocks resulting from earlier eruptions. Rabaul has produced numerous explosive eruptions since regular observations began.
References & Resources
NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
