NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 25, 2011 – Activity at Nabro volcano, Eritrea
Strong volcanic activity continued at Nabro volcano, Eritrea in late June, 2011, almost two weeks after the volcano sprang to life after a series of earthquakes shook the Eritrea-Ethiopia border region.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this true-color image at 7:25 UTC (10:25 a.
m.) local time on June 24, 2011. Shortly after midnight local time on June 13, the volcano spewed a large ash plume about 8 miles (15 km) high and disrupted air traffic over parts of the Middle East. Prior to that day, there had been no eruptions of this volcano during historic times. The initial eruption contained large amounts of ash as well as very high levels of sulfur dioxide. By June 20, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reported that the sulfur dioxide eruption continued. In this image, the large red hotspots represent areas of increased surface temperature, an expected result of volcanic activity. A very large, white, billowing plume can be seen rising from near the hotspots and blowing to the southwest. The difference in the character of the eruption can be seen by comparing this image to the MODIS Image of the Day for June 21 (image captured on June 19), when the large plume was primarily dark brown in color. On June 22, a report from the Eritrea Ministry of Energy and Mines, Eritrea stated that the ash and lava emitted from the Southern Red Sea region volcano has created a new land mass measuring hundreds of square meters.
