Gallery: Vulcan's View 6: Eruption News and Volcanoes From Space for December 23, 2011
01kizimen-and-karymsky-russia
Welcome to the holiday edition of Vulcan's View - enjoy these images of volcanoes as seen from space - and at least one of them is snow-covered (see above) if you're not having a white Christmas (if that be your holiday of choice). All of the volcanoes this week appear in the [latest Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program *Weekly Volcanic Activity Report*](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214) - I have a great mix of old and new images to go with the news, so enjoy! Kizimen and Karymsky, Russia ---------------------------- More business as usual in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. In [this image, taken December 14, 2011](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=76686), both Kizimen and Karymsky are producing small plumes that drift off to the east over the Pacific Ocean. [Kizimen produced a large pyroclastic flow](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#kizimen) this week while [the activity at Karymsky](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#karymsky) was confined to small ash plume. *Image: Plumes from Kizimen and Karymsky as seen on December 14, 2011. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory.*
02galeras-colombia
Galeras, Colombia ----------------- Whenever I talk about [Galeras](http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1501-08=), I always emphasize how close the volcano is to Pasto, a city of nearly half a million people. [This image, taken in 2005](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=5561), shows just how cozied up to the volcano is Pasto. The linear distance between the crater at Galeras and downtown Pasto is less then 10 km, well within the reach of a pyroclastic flow or lahar. Thankfully, Pasto is somewhat protected by the geometry of the volcano (see above). The current active vent is within a larger scarp that opens to the west, in the opposite direction of Pasto, so most flows will travel in that direction in the rare cases where Galeras produced pyroclastic flows. However, this won't spare Pasto from any ash from a large explosive eruption of Galeras. Thankfully, right now Galeras' mode is to produce relatively frequent but small eruptions and this week, that [activity is merely steam from the active vent](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#galeras) *Image: Galeras in Colombia seen on May 24, 2005. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory.*
03el-hierro-canary-islands-3
El Hierro, Canary Islands -------------------------- The activity at El Hierro continues to subside, as [this recent NASA Earth Observatory image](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=76717) with superimposed earthquake locations can attest. We might expect that the eruption could resume its activity in the future, but many times these fissure eruptions last a few weeks to a month, so it isn't too surprising to see the activity winding down now. [The latest reports from El Hierro](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#hierro) mention deflation of the edifice as well, again a sign that the supply of magma to the volcano is waning. *Image: The waning eruption south of El Hierro in the Canary Islands as seen on December 16, 2011. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory.*
04ijen-indonesia
Ijen, Indonesia --------------- [Ijen](http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0603-35=) on Java is notable for a number of reasons - it is part of a cluster of volcanoes in the Ijen group that includes Merapi (no, not that [Merapi](http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0603-25=) or [Marapi](http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0601-14=)) , it is [actively mined for sulfur](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/friday-flotsam-eruption-updates-for-merapi-and-kizimen-frostquakes-in-iceland-and-bromo-up-and-close/) by local residents and it has a very acidic crater lake at the summit. The crater lake is [considered by some to be largest, naturally-occurring acidic body](http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/cvl/multispectral/multispectral2.htm) of water in the world and can reach temperatures of over 40C regularly as the thermal ASTER image from 2002 shows. Currently, the [lake temperatures are between 26-34C](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#ijen), but new steam plumes from the volcano and [a sharp increase in shallow seismicity](http://www.suarapembaruan.com/home/aktivitas-vulkanik-gunung-ijen-meningkat/15166) have prompted the alert level to be raised to 2. *Image: A false color ASTER image from November 4, 2002 of the crater lake at Ijen in Indonesia. The inset is a thermal IR image of the surface temperature of the crater lake on July 11, 2003.*
05kilauea-hawaii
Kilauea, Hawai'i ---------------- The summit area of [Kilauea](http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php) on the big island of Hawai'i is more complex than many people realize. Not only is there the active Halema'uma'u crater, but the entirety of that crater sits within the [Kilauea caldera](http://www.ged.rwth-aachen.de/Ww/people/alumni/marc/mapping/index.html). Unlike [calderas such as Crater Lake in Oregon](http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Calderas.html), this caldera is formed by passive subsidence rather than a massive explosive eruption. Projecting from the summit caldera are [different rift zones](http://hawaiianlavadaily.blogspot.com/2010/10/kilauea-volcano-eruption-historical.html) and in this image, taken December 18, 2011, shows the start of the southwest rift zone. [Much of the action currently](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#kilauea) at Kilauea is on the east rift zone that includes Pu'u O'o, including [a new ocean entry](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/monday-musings-volcano-images-from-2011-volcanoes-of-india-lava-reaches-the-ocean-in-hawaii-and-more/). *Image: The summit area of Kilauea in Hawai'i as imaged via ALI on December 18, 2011, courtesy of NASA.*
06puyehue-cordon-caulle-chile-4
Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Chile ---------------------------- One of the more popular candidates for the [2011 *Pliny for Volcanic Event of the Year*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/make-your-nominations-for-the-2011-pliny-for-volcanic-event-of-the-year/) continues to chug along. Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, seen here in this December 13, 2011 image, shows a healthy ash plume from the eruption spreading dominantly to the southeast but it also appears that significant ash is being remobilized by winds all around the volcano. The plumes are still small compared to earlier in the eruption, [reaching 2-2.5 km / 6,500-8,200 feet](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#puyehue). *Image: The ash plume from Puyehue-Cordón Caulle imaged via ALI on December 13, 2011. Image courtesy of NASA.*
07sakura-jima-japan
Sakurajima, Japan ----------------- Another volcano that just keeps on going is [Sakurajima](http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0802-08=) in Japan. [This week saw continued small eruptions](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#sakura) from the volcano - which is closely [watched by webcams](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/volcano-webcams-of-the-world#sakura) all around the volcano. The [2010 image](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=42730) (see above) shows a plume from the volcano and the (very) nearby population. *Image: A small plume from Sakurajima in Japan seem on February 15, 2010. Image courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory.*
08jebel-zubair-yemen
Jebel Zubair, Yemen ------------------- Finally, in one of the more remote parts of the world, a small submarine eruption took place off the western coast of Yemen. The [details on the activity](http://www.activolcans.info/actualite-volcans/22122011-5168.php) near Jebel Zubair are [sketchy at best](http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.youm7.com%2FNews.asp%3FNewsID%3D560713%26SecID%3D88%26IssueID%3D0), but it sounds like there could be both submarine and subaerial components as [this new video (found by eruptions reader Sherine) clearly shows lava flows and a spatter cone at the surface](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KLaD5j9SycM#!). The [GVP report doesn't offer more details](http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?wvarweek=20111214#zubair) than [I had the other day](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/potential-eruption-off-the-coast-of-yemen/), but they do offer some details on the location of the eruption (to the north of Jebel Zubair) and the depth of water (likely less than 100 meters). The MODIS image taken on December 21, 2011 (see above) shows a small white plume and possibly some staining of the water around the islands as well. *Image: The small plume from the submarine (and subaerial?) eruption near Jebel Zubair off the coast of Yemen as seen on December 21, 2011. Image courtesy of Eruptions reader Kirby and NASA.*
