View larger. | Popocatépetl Volcano in Mexico on January 2, 2021. Image from NASA’s Lauren Dauphin Earth Observatory, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has just published this image, acquired through Landsat 8 on January 2, 2021. It is a plume that emerges from the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico, whose nickname is the Popo. This volcano is located in central Mexico, just 70 km from Mexico City. Residents of Mexico City can see it on clear days. Kasha Patel of NASA wrote:
Popocatépetl Volcano (the name is Aztec for “smoking mountain”) is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico. The glacier-clad stratovolcano has been erupting since January 2005, with daily emissions of gas, steam and low-intensity ash …
On January 6, the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported a volcanic ash plume that rose about 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above the volcano. The National Center for Disaster Prevention of Mexico (CENAPRED), which continuously monitors Popo, warned people not to approach the volcano or its crater due to falling ash and rock fragments. Some ash falls were dragged by the wind to the city of Puebla, located about 45 kilometers from the volcano.
At 5,426 meters (17,802 feet) above sea level, Popocatépetl is the second highest volcano in Mexico (after Citlaltépetl). It is composed of alternating layers of volcanic ash, lava and rocks from previous eruptions. The volcano is located about 70 kilometers (40 miles) 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 a nutshell: Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano 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 approached due to falling ash and rock fragments.
Via NASA’s Earth Observatory
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