Nature Photos of the Week

October 18, 2007

 

Calderas and Volcanos from Space!

The NASA Space Shuttle Earth Observations Photography database of images is a national treasure. NASA publishes these selected photos and related captions on the Internet to provide a glimpse of this national treasure to the public. This database was compiled by their staff to illustrate some very interesting Earth features and processes.

 

STS062-100-195 Valles Caldera, New Mexico, U.S.A. March 1994
Part of the Jemez Mountains, Valles Caldera, 14 miles (23 kilometers) in diameter, is a severely eroded volcano that shows the classic radial drainage pattern normally associated with composite volcanoes. Redondo Peak [11,254 feet (3,430 meters)], its large dome, was formed in the middle of the caldera by the resurgence of the caldera floor. Several smaller, circular lava domes are discernible toward the northern edge of the caldera. The deep canyon along the southern flank allows the Jemez River to drain the caldera, whose floor shows some snow accumulation. The deeply eroded canyon east of the caldera is part of the Rio Grande Rift Valley.

 

STS085-709-017 The Island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Island Chain August, 1997
Hawaii, geologically the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, can be seen in this near-vertical view. The Big Island is as large as all the other Hawaiian Islands combined. It covers an area the size of the state of Connecticut, spanning 90 miles (144 km) from north to south, and 80 miles (129 km) from east to west. Five large volcanoes coalesce to make the visible part of Hawaii; a sixth lies beneath the sea off the south-southeast coast (Loihi). The southern part of the island is still volcanically active (Mauna Loa and Kilauea), while the northern part of the island is in the waning stages of activity (Mauna Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala). Near the center of the image, Mauna Loa can be seen. Kilauea, southeast of Mauna Loa, is the most active and youngest volcano. Mauna Kea to the north of Mauna Loa is the highest of the Hawaiian volcanoes and from its base to its summit is over 33,000 feet (10,650 meters) in elevation. To the left (northwest) on the image from Mauna Loa and barely discernible due to some clouds is Hualalai, the third oldest volcano on the Big Island. It is located on the central Kona Coast. Kohala is the big Island’s oldest volcano and it forms a large peninsula extending north from Mauna Kea.

 

This low-oblique, westward-looking photograph of southeastern Maui features two volcanic nodes at either end of the island—Puukukui [5,788 feet (1,764 meters)], the major landform in western Maui, and Red Hill [10,012 feet (3,052 meters)], near the center of the eastern part of the island. Infrared film (with reds representing vegetation) accentuates the drainage pattern on the slopes of these large volcanoes; e.g., the deep canyon that extends eastward from Red Hill to the ocean. Apparent is a rain shadow effect (less vegetation and less red) on the drier side of Maui. Large cultivated field patterns appear between the two volcanoes. The rapidly developing urban and tourist centers of Wailuku and Kahului are visible along the north coast of the island near the base of Puukukui. The smaller islands of Kahoolawe and Lanai, to the southwest and west, respectively, are also captured in this photograph.

 

Mt. Fuji, Japan:
Fuji, Japan’s tallest volcano (3,776 m) and a national symbol, is located about 110 km (70 miles) west-southwest of Tokyo in central Honshu, Japan. It is a highly recognizable target from space and last week International Space Station crew members peered down onto Fuji’s snow-capped cone. The summit crater is about 250 m deep, with a diameter of about 500 meters. Fuji last erupted in 1707 from Hoei crater, a vent on the mountain’s southeastern flank. When this image was taken, the winter snow cover highlighted trails, roads, and other clearings above a certain elevation. Developments on Fuji’s lower flanks, which include military installations and tourist resorts, remained snow-free.

 

STS064-040-010 Rabaul Eruption Plume, New Britain Island September 1994
This high-oblique, north-northwest-looking photograph shows the eruption plume from Tavurvur and Vulcan, two volcanic cones situated on either side of the sea-filled Rabaul Volcano, located on the eastern end of New Britain Island. The white, billowing eruption plume is blowing in a westerly direction. Because of light winds at the time of the eruption, most of the 3 feet (1 meter) of ash was deposited within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the volcanoes. Of the two eruptions in 1994, Vulcan was the more explosive, pumping a column of gas and ash more than 60,000 feet (18,000 meters) into the atmosphere. The twin eruptions, ending in December 1994, caused more than 50,000 people to flee the area. The bowl-shaped Rabaul caldera, whose diameter is 5 miles (8 kilometers), contains three additional volcanoes. The last significant eruption prior to the one captured in the photograph occurred in 1937, killing more than 500 people and virtually destroying the city of Rabaul. The present caldera was carved from the crust by a series of huge explosions occurring during the past 500,000 years. The last major explosion of the original volcano took place nearly 1,400 years ago, although numerous smaller outbursts have subsequently occurred.