The volcanic eruption on La Palma is a great danger. NASA images from space illustrate the extent of the force of nature.
La Palma / Frankfurt – The volcano Cumbre Vieja on the Canary Island of La Palma does not come to rest. After an eruption around three weeks ago, the volcano continues to rage: at the beginning of the week, for example, there were earthquakes in the region. Several lava flows make their way across the island. Thousands of people’s lives are in danger. Numerous villages have already been evacuated. The local authorities also examine the air quality on La Palma, as the Cumbre Vieja “spits out” large clouds of smoke.
Nasa recordings now show the extent of the volcanic eruption and the activity of the Cumbre Vieja on La Palma. For example, a rare phenomenon can be seen in the satellite images from the Earth Observatory. Several circular clouds of smoke can be seen at a height of several kilometers.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: NASA publishes satellite images
Experts from the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center on the Canary Island of Tenerife cite an inversion layer in the earth’s atmosphere as the reason for this. At a height of several kilometers, such weather conditions lead to higher temperatures than on the earth’s surface.
In other words: ash and gas were blocked by a warm, dry layer of air around five kilometers above the ground. As a result, clouds of smoke collected in special shapes. According to NASA, the ring-shaped plumes of smoke are darkly colored because the volcano on La Palma emits the ash very unevenly.
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In addition to the jerky clouds of smoke, masses of lava oozes from the volcano. According to the Institute of Volcanology of the Canary Islands, the magma has temperatures of up to 1240 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, a lava field of around 30 hectares has emerged, which enlarges the island of La Palma. In addition, 350 hectares of inhabited area were covered by the volcanic mass, making the aforementioned evacuations necessary. (do)
Rubric list image: © Nasa
