November 27, 2014 - Activity at Mt. Etna and Stromboli

Activity at Mt. Etna and Stromboli

Plumes billowed from two of Italy’s most famous volcanoes – Etna and Stromboli – on November 21, 2014 as the Aqua satellite passed overhead. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard that satellite captured this true-color image at 12:25 UTC (7:25 EST) on that same day.

A small gray plume can be seen drifting northward from the island of Stromboli, just north of center of the image. To the south, a broad volcanic plume blows to the southeast from Mount Etna. Located on the island of Sicily, Etna is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, particularly in terms of effusive activity. It is well known for frequent eruptions which pour forth rivers of glowing lava. Although it has a dangerous habit of erupting from side vents, some of which are located close to populated areas, Etna has been considered a relatively “safe” volcano by many citizens, because it has killed very few people in its long eruptive history.

Stromboli Volcano is one of the rare volcanoes that have been persistently active for at least 2,000 years. Eruptive activity is continuous, with typically short-lived, low level bursts characterized by ejection of lava fragments and steam, although more violent activity including fountaining of lava, ejection of large blocks and lava bombs, and even lava flow, have occurred. Very large eruptions have occurred in the past, which caused significant damage and were responsible for a number of deaths.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/21/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC