Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano erupted on March 10, 2026, with lava spewing as much as 1,300 feet (400 meters) into the air. The eruption produced tephra, a mix of fragmented volcanic glass, rock, and ash. Tephra blanketed neighboring communities and accumulated between 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) in some locations. The eruption temporarily closed Highway 11.
The image comparison above shows a false-color corrected reflectance (bands M11-I2-I1) image of the Big Island of Hawaii on the left "A" side and a natural-color corrected reflectance image on the right "B" side. Move the center swipe bar left and right to compare the images. The left image highlights the location of the volcanic eruption where the heat from the lava registers as bright red in the false-color image. Teal colors also help distinguish smoke and ash from clouds. On the right side, thermal anomalies associated with the eruption are marked as bright red dots in the south-central portion of the island.
The corrected reflectance images and thermal anomalies information were acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard NOAA-21, a joint NASA/NOAA platform.
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