NASA MODIS Image of the Day: September 7, 2007 – Plume from Shiveluch Volcano
On August 3, 2007, the Shiveluch (Sheveluch) Volcano on the Russian Federation’s Kamchatka Peninsula released a plume as the MODIS on NASAs Aqua satellite passed overhead.
This image shows the volcanic plume blowing away from the summit toward the southeast.
The plume’s gray-beige color suggests a composition of ash mixed with water vapor. This summertime shot also reveals the lush green of the surrounding landscape, interrupted by bare mountain ridges. Shiveluch is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped volcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and volcanic rocks. One of Kamchatka’s largest volcanoes, it sports a summit reaching 3,283 meters (10,771 feet). Shiveluch is also one of the peninsula’s most active volcanoes, with an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years.
