Erupting Volcanoes on Earth as Seen From Space
- 12:02 am |
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station caught a lucky glimpse of the start of this eruption of Sarychev Volcano in the Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan, on June 12, 2009. This was the volcano’s first eruption in 30 years.
The smooth white cloud, known as a pileus cloud, topping the eruption column may be made of water condensation caused by rising and cooling of the air above. In contrast, a dark gray cloud of ash near the ground is probably an avalanche of hot ash and rock known as a pyroclastic flow.
This photo sparked a debate among scientists about what caused the hole in the clouds above the eruption. Three possible options came up:
- It could have nothing to do with the eruption and simply be caused by the contrast in temperatures between the ocean and the island.
- A shockwave from the eruption could have blown a hole in the cloud deck.
- As the plume rose, air flowed downward along the sides and became warmer and evaporated the clouds.