La Soufriére covers Saint Vincent in ash

La Soufriére covers Saint Vincent in ash Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory shows the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent before and after two weeks of powerful eruptions by the La Soufriére volcano.

According to NASA, ash is roughly ten times denser than snow, and can accumulate into heavy layers that can smother crops, collapse roofs, and impact water supplies. 

The volcano has been experiencing sporadic, explosive eruptions since April 9, 2021. Plumes of ash and gas  have been ejected high into the air over Saint Vincent.  North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface.

Much of the ash has been swept away by wind over large distances. Tiny shards of rock and glass have rained down onto the island and the surrounding water. 

The images were captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer