Above: Photo taken from an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on February 13, 2016 (before the eruption). Below: Photo taken from astronauts aboard the International Space Station on August 18, 2023.
Two years after the Cumbre Vieja eruption in the Canary Islands, some roads have been rebuilt.
astronaut on board international space station (ISS) took these photos of La Palma Island while in orbit over the North Atlantic Ocean. La Palma is part of Spain’s Canary Islands, approximately 480 kilometers (300 miles) off the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara. The island is basalt shield volcano This volcano consists of two volcanic centers. One is the old collapsed Caldera de Taburiente and the other is the young and active Cumbre Vieja.
From September to December 2021, eruption Lava flows, lava fountains, and volcanic ash clouds occurred on the southwest flank of Cumbre Vieja. The mission lasted about 85 days and gave astronauts on the space station the opportunity to take photos of plumes and glowing lava flows at night.
In total, the lava flow and ash covered more than 12 square kilometers (5 square miles) of La Palma and extended 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the fissure to the coastline.Ash and lava damaged Over 3,000 buildings and some banana plantations, caused yellowing of pine forests.
These photos were taken in February 2016 (top) and August 2023 (bottom) and show the landscape several years before and after the eruption. In the two years since the eruption, some roads have been rebuilt and are visible as thin, brightly colored lines cutting through the lava flow. This road will reconnect the town of Los Llanos de Aridane with Puerto Naos and other nearby communities. In this photo, the eruption crack is clearly visible as a brighter, linear feature halfway down the side of the volcano.
Although not noticeable in the spatial resolution of these images, sparse trees and shrubs continue to grow within the deposited volcanic ash. canary islands pine (Pinus canariensis).This fire resistance serotinic Coniferous trees, endemic to the Canary Islands, use the heat from fires to melt the resin surrounding their pine cones and produce viable seeds.
Astronaut photo ISS069-E-62382 was acquired on August 18, 2023 with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters. Astronaut photo ISS046-E-40929 was acquired on February 13, 2016 with a Nikon D4 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters. Images provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observation Facility and the Johnson Space Center Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit. The images were taken by Expedition 69 crew members and Expedition 46 crew members. Images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports this laboratory as part of the ISS National Laboratory, allowing astronauts to take the most valuable photographs of Earth to scientists and the public, and to make those images available on the Internet. We support it so that it can be used freely. Caption by Cadan Cummings, Jacobs, JETS II Contract NASA-JSC.
Source: scitechdaily.com
