Eruption on Augustine Island, Alaska

Eruption on Augustine Island, Alaska

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), Augustine Volcano continued low-level eruptive activity in early March 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua satellite captured this image on March 6, 2006. In this image, the volcanic island emits a faint plume of ash that wafts toward the southeast. Observers at the AVO described this ash plume as diluted and not likely to travel far.

Although quieter than it was earlier in the year, the volcano was far from dormant in early March 2006. The AVO staff issued a status report explaining that brief explosions could still occur with little or no warning. The volcano’s dome was still growing a week after this image was acquired, and dome-building and eruptive activity could be expected to continue for weeks or even months.

NASA image created by Katalin Kovacs, Landsat Project Science Office, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.