Plume from Rabaul Volcano – Acquired September 10, 2009
Another great looking MODIS picture, this one taken from the Aqua satellite on September 10th. As usual from the folks at EO.
Rabaul Volcano emitted a plume of ash and steam on the afternoon of September 10, 2009. This minor eruption continues a period of activity at the volcano that began in August of 2006. According to the Joint Air Force & Army Weather Information Network the plume extended up to 30 nautical miles northwest of Rabaul’s summit. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image. Rabaul is a pyroclastic shield volcano. Composed from broken rocks and debris from earlier eruptions, it has a wide perimeter and low profile. Before a major 1994 eruption that forced a large-scale evacuation, Rabaul had served as a natural harbor for the city of the same name.

