Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia 05/12/02

MODIS image of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

MODIS bands 1,4,3 RGB true color image of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia on the 12th of May 2002.

The Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia is home to numerous volcanoes. This true-color MODIS image from May 12, 2002, shows the detection of three separate "hot spots" (red dots) in the region. The northernmost one comes from the Sheveluch volcano, which began erupting in late April, and has remained restless since then. Reports from the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team, available from the Alaska Volcano Observatory indicate that the volcano's status is "Code Yellow," which means a large eruption may occur without warning in the next few weeks. To the south of Sheveluch, the Karymsky volcano also had a detectable thermal signature, and reports indicate it also has been restless since late April, and is classified as "Code Yellow." The southernmost thermal anomaly is not a volcano, but rather fires that are being used to prepare the land for agriculture.

Text courtesy of NASA's MODIS instrument website. Additional acknowledgement to Dave Schneider, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory, for his help in image interpretation.

Image courtesy of NASA's MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.