Landsat 9 Captures Shivelyuch Melting Snow on April 23 as Heat Lingers After 2023 Eruption
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 11
Landsat 9 Captures Shivelyuch Melting Snow on April 23 as Heat Lingers After 2023 Eruption
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 11
April 23 Landsat 9 images show Russia's Shivelyuch volcano carving dark, snow-free channels through its slopes, revealing volcanic heat still escaping across Kamchatka's frozen landscape.
A growing lava dome inside the crater is driving part of that heat, while collapses can unleash pyroclastic flows that spread hot ash and rock down the volcano's flanks.
Those deposits can retain heat for months or years, and NASA says some scars in the new imagery may still reflect energy left from Shivelyuch's massive 2023 eruption.
Shivelyuch, Kamchatka's northernmost active volcano, is among Earth's most active, with satellites regularly tracking ash deposits, heat signatures and hot-rock avalanches.
While satellites watch a Russian volcano melt snow from within, how are nearby communities preparing for the next big eruption?
Beyond the danger, could the immense geothermal heat from Russia's snow-melting volcano be harnessed for human benefit?
As AI learns to predict eruptions, how much warning time can we expect before a major volcanic event?