Okay, I’m an American, so no one would expect me to remain current in international events, but what’s with this “mud volcano” in Java? The images above come from the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, which offers web page with a (must admit) spiffy viewer to examine the extent of the damage.
To me, the above images represent the power of remote sensing and our new-found ability to contextualize terrestrial events (cf. the extensive use of such imagery in Al Gore’s impressively illustrated An Inconvenient Truth).
Just bizarre. Listening to a bunch of talks at the recent Pale Blue Dot meeting convinced me that I really don’t understand geology, and this just confirms my suspicion…
Heads up everyone:
Alaska Cleveland Volcano Alert
New status is Orange
A new Lava dome is building in the summit crater.
It was 130 feet in Diameter as of January 30, 2012.
On February 1, 2012 the AVO/USGS issued a Volcanic Activity Notice on the Cleveland Volcano raising the status from YELLOW to ORANGE.
A ORANGE status indicates that the Cleveland Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions [ash-plume height specified, if possible].
Complete details are available at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (avo.alaska.edu)