English: The eruption of Aoba volcano, located on Ambae Island in Vanuatu, continued on November 7, 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the region on that same day.

The thick gray plume of volcanic ash appeared to rise nearly straight up from Aoba before spreading out over Ambae Island. A thin layer of volcanic ash, haze, and vog (volcanic fog) also appears to fill the skies around Ambae Island, other than a small section to the northeast. In late September, 2017, Aoba volcano began to rumble with increased volcanic activity, forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people living near the craters on Ambae Island. By September 25 a new cinder cone and magma lake were reported to have formed at the volcano, close to the freshwater lake surrounding Aoba. The presence of water was considered to increase the risk of a highly dangerous eruption. Since that time most villagers have been allowed to return home while Aoba continues a low-level eruption.

However, ReliefWeb reports that a reminder has been posted to all tourism agencies, local authorities, people of Ambae and the general public to not to access the area designated as the Danger Zone which is about 3 km radius from the eruptive vent. In this area flying rocks are expected, volcanic ashes and gases may be more abundant. Villages from Ambae and neighboring islands may experience volcanic hazards from gas and ash plumes, especially those exposed to prevailing trade winds direction.