On January 16, 2007, the Sheveluch Volcano (also known as Shiveluch) released a plume. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the plume blows northward, casting a faint shadow over the icy landscape. The plume’s predominantly white color suggests that it contains more water vapor than ash. Varying thicknesses of snow and ice cover the region, and local mountains leave pale blue shadows in the north, away from the Sun’s light. Patches of thin snow cover reveal the underlying brown rock and soil.
Sheveluch is one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. It is a stratovolcano consisting of alternating layers of hardened ash, lava, and rock.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
