Volcano Chaiten, Chile Click Image to Enlarge  (JPG) (1,285,578 bytes) ( 3,456 x 2,736 )

Chaiten Volcano, Chile continues to erupt after first exploding in May 2008 following about 9,000 years of inactivity. The left image is the visible-near infrared composite, with vegetation in red. You can clearly see the extent of the plume. The right image is a color stretch of the multispectral thermal infrared bands: red is ash-rich, yellow/orange is sulfur dioxide gas, and blue is water-rich. Only the edges and distal portions of the plume, where it's more transparent, show ash or SO2. The image was acquired January 19, 2009, covers an area of 20.5 x 41 km, and is located near 42.8 degrees south latitude, 72.6 degrees west longitude.