Snow caps the summits of Mauna Loa (center) and Mauna Kea (toward the top, center) volcanoes on the island of Hawai`i. With its summit standing roughly 17 km (56,000 feet) above its base and its flanks covering about half of the Island of Hawai`i, Mauna Loa is the world?s largest volcano. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Mauna Loa?s peak rises roughly 4 km above sea level, its flanks slope downward another 5 km to the ocean floor, and then it is so massive it compresses the sea floor another 8 km!

Meanwhile, toward the island?s southeastern shore, the ongoing eruption of Kilauea continues. The red boxes indicate the location of the lava flow from the volcano?s Pu`u `O`o cone, which has been erupting since 1983.

This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra satellite, on February 28, 2002.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

Instrument: 

Terra - MODIS