NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

ISS Science Highlight: Early Stages of a Volcanic Eruption

Sarychev Peak Volcano Eruption, Kuril Islands, June 2009 A fortuitous orbit of the International Space Station allowed the astronauts this striking view of Sarychev volcano (Russia’s Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) in an early stage of eruption on June 12, 2009.

Sarychev Peak is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain and is located on the northwestern end of Matua Island. Ash from the June 2009 eruption was detected more than 2400 km ESE and nearly 1000 km WNW of the volcano, and commercial airline flights are being diverted away from the region to minimize the danger of engine failures from ash intake.

This detailed astronaut photograph is exciting to volcanologists because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption. The main column is one of a series of plumes that rose above Matua Island (48.1N 153.2E) on June 12. The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance; the surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption. The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column, and is probably a transient feature (the eruption plume is starting to punch through).

By contrast, a cloud of denser, gray ash – most probably a pyroclastic flow appears to be hugging the ground, descending from the volcano summit. The rising eruption plume casts a shadow to the northwest of the island (image top). Brown ash at a lower altitude of the atmosphere spreads out above the ground at image lower left. Low-level stratus clouds approach Matua Island from the east, wrapping around the lower slopes of the volcano. Only about 1.5 km of the coastline of Matua Island (image lower center) can be seen beneath the clouds and ash.

Astronaut photograph ISS020-E-9048 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS020&roll=E&frame=9048 was acquired by the Expedition 20 crew on June 12, 2009 with a Nikon D2XS digital camera fitted with a 400 mm lens.

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