Look bigger. | Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico on January 2, 2021. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, uses Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
NASA Earth Observatory has just published this image, obtained on Landsat 8 on January 2, 2021. It is a plume rising from the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico, nicknamed El Popo. This volcano is located in central Mexico, just 70 km from Mexico City. Mexico City residents can see it on clear days. Kasha Patel from NASA wrote:
Popocatépetl volcano – the name is Aztec for ‘smoke mountain’ – is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. The glacier-covered stratovolcano has been erupting since January 2005, with daily low-intensity emissions of gas, steam and ash …
On January 6, the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported a volcanic ash plume that rose to about 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above the volcano. Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center (CENAPRED), which continuously monitors Popo, has warned people not to approach the volcano or its crater due to ash and rock fragments. A few ash falls were blown to the city of Puebla, about 45 kilometers from the volcano.
Popocatépetl, at 5,426 meters (17,802 feet) above sea level, is the second highest volcano in Mexico (after Citlaltépetl). It consists of varying layers of volcanic ash, lava and rocks from earlier eruptions. The volcano is located about 70 kilometers southeast of Mexico City and more than 20 million people live close enough to be affected by a major eruption. However, most eruptions in the last 600 years have been relatively mild.
In short: the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico has been erupting since January 2005. On January 6, 2021, Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center, which continuously monitors the volcano, warned people not to approach due to falling ash and rock fragments.
Via NASA Earth Observatory
EarthSky 2021 lunar calendars are available now! Order now. Go fast!
