Description

On November 23, 2013 violent eruptions shook Japan’s Sakura-jima volcano. A series of powerful explosions were reported, with plumes of ash rising up to 15,000 ft (4.5 km).

Ash emissions continued on November 24, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. A dense plume of ash over the Japanese island of Kyushu can be seen rising from the Showa crater and blowing over the island of Kyushu, to the northeast.

Currently Japan’s most active volcano, Sakura-jima explodes several hundred times each year. These eruptions area usually small, but the larger eruptions can generate ash plumes rising high over the 3,410 foot (1,040 m) summit.

Bands Used: 1, 4, 3

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz (MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC)