Seismic activity above background levels suggested ash emissions from Shiveluch Volcano in mid-October 2009, while video footage showed multiple hot avalanches, reported the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program. This false-color image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Imaging Spectroradiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite on October 24, 2009, shows ash stains on the volcano’s slopes.
In this false-color image, volcanic ash appears reddish brown, snow appears white, and shadows appear deep blue-gray. The ash stains are most conspicuous south of the summit. The Sun’s low angle leaves part of the northern face of Shiveluch in shadow.
Shiveluch (also spelled Sheveluch) is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and rocks from earlier eruptions. Rising to a height of 3,283 meters (10,770 feet), the volcano ranks among the largest and most active on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Michon Scott.
