A fresh scar on the north side of Indonesia’s volcanic Paluweh Island indicates the unpredictability of volcanic eruptions. Since the current eruption of Paluweh (also known as Rokatenda or Palue) began in late 2012, debris and ash had mainly flowed south from the volcano’s summit. On August 10, 2013, a small eruption deposited material to the north—killing five people.

A wide swath of gray that narrows to the northwest shows the probable path of the deadly pyroclastic flow. (A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving mix of extremely hot ash, gas, rocks, and volcanic debris.) As it descended from the 875–meter– (2870–foot–) summit of the volcano the flow narrowed as it was funneled into existing stream channels. The flow entered the ocean along the northwest coastline, extending the beach by a few meters. In the aftermath of the eruption, the government has stepped up efforts to evacuate Paluweh.

More info: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=81986

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using Landsat 8 data from the USGS Earth Explorer. Instrument: Landsat 8 - OLI

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

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