Earth

Best image yet of ongoing activity at Popocatépetl volcano

Posted by

and

April 24, 2012

Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano (pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til) has been active since mid-April 2012, and now NASA has produced the best image yet of this spectacular volcano. This false-color image of the volcano was acquired yesterday (April 23, 2012) by NASA’s Terra satellite.

popocatepetl_ast_2012114_lrg — NASA image of Popocatepetl volcano

Click here to expand image above

Popocatépetl (pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til) is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. NASA says it has been erupting since January 2005, with near constant venting from fumaroles punctuated by minor steam, gas, and ash emissions. Activity began to pick up significantly in mid-April.

The last major eruption of Popocatépetl occurred in 800 A.D., in which vast amounts of lava and ash from the volcano completely filled many of the surrounding valleys. Since then, there have been at least five moderate eruptions, two of which occurred in the 1900s.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Buffer

Posted

April 24, 2012

in

Earth

Deborah Byrd

View Articles

About the Author:

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.