A mild eruption continues at Chile’s Puyehue Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex, almost three months since activity began on June 4, 2011. This pair of natural-color satellite images shows the steadiness of Puyehue Cordón Caulle’s activity on the morning and afternoon of August 30, 2011. According to SERNAGEOMIN, the Chilean National Service of Geology and Mining, continuous tremors were associated with the emissions of gas and ash.
These images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra (morning, top) and Aqua (afternoon, bottom) satellites. The volcanic plume is pale, almost white, and streams to the northeast of the erupting vent. The small, dark area immediately beneath the plume is a fresh lava flow emplaced during the current eruption. Several lakes downwind (east) of the volcano are colored bright blue-green by fine ash suspended in the water. Some of the lakes are still partially covered by gray floating pumice.
References & Resources
- SERNAGEOMIN. (2011, August 31). Reporte Especial de Actividad Volcánica No 122 Complejo Volcánico Puyehue—Cordón Caulle. Accessed September 1, 2011.
NASA images courtesy Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC.
