Plumes from Gaua and Ambrym Volcanoes

Plumes from Gaua and Ambrym Volcanoes

Diffuse plumes rise from Gaua Volcano (top) and Ambrym Volcano (bottom) in the Vanuatu Archipelago. Both Gaua and Ambrym are located in the New Hebrides Island Arc, where the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath the Australian Plate. This natural-color image was acquired on August 2, 2010, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite.

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Robert Simmon.