Hawaii volcano eruption: Shock NASA satellite photos show leaking lava and toxic gas
THESE NASA satellite images underline the magnitude of the ongoing eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, which has destroyed dozens of homes and forced the evacuation of almost 2,000 people since Thursday.
The scientists are using the pictures to help them make predictions about future lava flows.
The shots were take on Sunday by the Terra satellite, and reveal fissures along the volcano’s East Rift Zone from which is leaking lava and deadly sulfur dioxide.
In one picture, the fissures appear to be yellow, with vegetation looking red, while black and grey areas represent old lava flows.
In the second, plumes of foul-smelling sulphur dioxide — which can irritate the skin and airways — can be seen as yellow and green streaks.
These photos are helpful to scientists, civil authorities, and the public in order to get the full picture of where new lava is flowing
In an email to NBC News, Kayla Iacovino, a volcanologist at Arizona State University, said: “These photos are helpful to scientists, civil authorities, and the public in order to get the full picture of where new lava is flowing and where toxic gases are moving.”
Ms Iacovino said the pictures could help experts predict the locations of future lava flows and gas plumes.
She added: “These images can also aid in the creation of new volcanic hazard maps, which help the public make informed choices about where to build (or buy) a new home.”
Dr George Bergantz, a professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, stressed that identifying the locations of the gas plumes was crucial.
He explained that communities living on the various Hawaiian islands could be affected by a mixture of air and volcanic gases known as "vog”.
Kilauea, on the southeastern side of Hawaii's Big Island, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with 61 recorded eruptions since 1823.
In 1940, an eruption lasting 26 days produced a total of between 2005 and 265 million cubic metres of lava.
The light generated was so intense it was apparently possible to read a newspaper at night in the town of Hilo, almost 20 miles away.
Kilauea volcano leaves giant fissures in Hawaii roads
Another eruption in December 2014 threatened to cut off the town of Pahoa, with the lava flow eventually stopping just short of the town.
The Terra satellite was launched in 1999, orbiting Earth at a distance of 438 miles above the surface.
As well as monitoring on volcanic activity, its instruments keep track of environmental factors which can impact agriculture, known as crop stress, as well as coral reef degradation and glacier retreats.