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December 24, 2014 - Eruption of Pico do Fogo, Cape Verde Islands
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The Republic of Cabo Verde consists of ten islands and eight islets arranged in a horse-shoe shape and is located about 400 miles (600 km) west of West Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. The island of Fogo sits almost on the southwest end of the horseshoe; only one small island lies to its west. The nearly circular Fogo Island is about 15 mi (25 km) wide, and is in reality little more than a huge stratovolcano, with a 5.5 mi (9 km) caldera from which the central cone, called Pico, rises. Pico de Fogo is the most active volcano in Cape Verde. Despite the history of frequent volcanic activity, several thousand people live in small villages and towns within the western half of the caldera.
On November 23, 2014, the Fogo volcano began erupting for the first time in nineteen years. Spewing thick lava and a plume of gases from a flank eruption, the volcano has devastated two towns and caused 1700 people to flee the flowing lava. A previous flank eruption, in 1995, was considered a humanitarian crisis. This one, according to Volcano Discovery, is Fogo’s largest eruption in decades, and caused more damage to nearby settlements in a shorter time than the 1995 eruption. It has been placed as one of the worst volcanic disasters in the 21st century.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Fogo on December 15, almost three weeks after the eruption began. A very large red hotspot marks where the thermal sensor detected high temperatures. In this case, the high temperatures are the result of lava flow which is a prominent feature of the current eruption. While no distinct plume rises from Pico de Fogo at the time, the entire area appears hazy – likely the result of volcanic smog (vog) combined with dust which frequently blows from western Africa over the islands.
On December 15, the day this image was captured, the volcano had been relatively quiescent for about five days, leading some to suggest that the eruption may be ending. However, on December 22, the lava effusion remained at moderate activity, and continued to feed the active flows spreading through the Cha Caldera. The two villages, Portela and Bangaeira, which were consumed by hot lava two weeks ago, continue to be buried more deeply in lava although the flow front is no longer active. Farmland, including in the Cova Tina area, continues to be destroyed.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/15/2014
Resolutions:
250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Republic of Cabo Verde consists of ten islands and eight islets arranged in a horse-shoe shape and is located about 400 miles (600 km) west of West Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. The island of Fogo sits almost on the southwest end of the horseshoe; only one small island lies to its west. The nearly circular Fogo Island is about 15 mi (25 km) wide, and is in reality little more than a huge stratovolcano, with a 5.5 mi (9 km) caldera from which the central cone, called Pico, rises. Pico de Fogo is the most active volcano in Cape Verde. Despite the history of frequent volcanic activity, several thousand people live in small villages and towns within the western half of the caldera.
On November 23, 2014, the Fogo volcano began erupting for the first time in nineteen years. Spewing thick lava and a plume of gases from a flank eruption, the volcano has devastated two towns and caused 1700 people to flee the flowing lava. A previous flank eruption, in 1995, was considered a humanitarian crisis. This one, according to Volcano Discovery, is Fogo’s largest eruption in decades, and caused more damage to nearby settlements in a shorter time than the 1995 eruption. It has been placed as one of the worst volcanic disasters in the 21st century.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Fogo on December 15, almost three weeks after the eruption began. A very large red hotspot marks where the thermal sensor detected high temperatures. In this case, the high temperatures are the result of lava flow which is a prominent feature of the current eruption. While no distinct plume rises from Pico de Fogo at the time, the entire area appears hazy – likely the result of volcanic smog (vog) combined with dust which frequently blows from western Africa over the islands.
On December 15, the day this image was captured, the volcano had been relatively quiescent for about five days, leading some to suggest that the eruption may be ending. However, on December 22, the lava effusion remained at moderate activity, and continued to feed the active flows spreading through the Cha Caldera. The two villages, Portela and Bangaeira, which were consumed by hot lava two weeks ago, continue to be buried more deeply in lava although the flow front is no longer active. Farmland, including in the Cova Tina area, continues to be destroyed.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/15/2014
Resolutions:
250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
