Hawaii volcano eruption: Stunning satellite pictures of erupting Kilauea volcano
THE menacing beauty of Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano was pictured in full glory thanks to stunning satellite images captured onboard NASA’s Terra satellite.
The incredible Kilauea pictures offer unprecedented insight into the various volcanic hotbeds and toxic gases venting across the island.
The images come off the back of Kilauea’s violent eruption which has so far forced more than 1,800 people to flee their homes.
Earlier last week the eruption of the Hawaiian volcano unleashed a number of ground splitting and lava-oozing fissures along the East Rift Zone on the southeastern edge of Hawaii Island, or Big Island.
The monsters gashes in the surface of the Earth have been punning out hazardous amounts of sulphur dioxide prompting swift evacuation orders from the authorities.
The fissures and toxic gas vents have now been photographed from high up above Earth by NASA’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on board the Terra satellite.
In the false-colour picture above, the deep red colours represent the lush vegetations sprawling the tropical island.
The dark grey and black areas were coloured in to represent old lava flows from the volatile volcano.
The few dots of yellow interspersed around the hazardous area show the volcanic hot spots registered by ASTER’s thermal infrared instruments.
Falling rocks agitate Kilauea volcano's lava lake surface
The hot spots are the newly formed fissures which split the ground open and have so far damaged more than 35 buildings in the Leilani Subdivisions, Puna District.
Bot are actively erupting. Hazardous fumes continue to be released
Following a brief period of inactivity on Tuesday officials confirmed today two new fissures have opened up on Big Island, bringing the total number of cracks to 14.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) urged everyone in Leilani to immediately evacuate towards the designated safe areas.
The agency said: “Bot are actively erupting. Hazardous fumes continue to be released.”
A second satellite photo shared by NASA, taken on Sunday May 6, reveals the extent of Sulphur Dioxide leaks from the volcano.
The gas leaks are coloured in streaks of yellow and green and can be seen wafting away from the fissures.
Kilauea is Hawaii’s youngest but most active volcano and southeastern-most volcano.
The volcano began erupting on April 30 when the floor of Kilauea’s crater spectacularly collapsed.
A series of intense earthquakes quickly followed, some as high as magnitude 6.9, pushing scorching lava underground beneath Leilani.
Kilauea has been in a state of eruptive activity since 1983 but there has been no significant lava threat to local residents.
Witnesses who saw the eruptive episode first hand this week reported lava “fountains” as high as 300 feet in the air.`