The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite from the European Space Agency has captured images of Big Ben volcano, one of the two active volcanoes in Australia, erupting lava.
The lava flow on Heard Island, uninhabited and located approximately 4,100 km southwest of Perth, Australia, and 1,500 km north of Antarctica, is part of an ongoing eruption that was first recorded over a decade ago.
Satellite images combining optical and infrared data show lava flowing down the slopes of Big Ben volcano on Heard Island near Antarctica. (Photo: Sentinel-2).
The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on May 25 and is a combination of optical and infrared images, according to The Guardian.
In the image, lava can be seen flowing down the side of Big Ben volcano from near its summit, known as Mawson Peak. Another active volcano in Australia is located on the nearby McDonald Islands.
Reports from the Global Volcanism Program (GVP) at the Smithsonian Institution, prior to the sharing of the satellite image, indicate that the current lava flow is part of an “eruption episode” that has been ongoing since September 2012. The GVP has records of eruptions on Heard Island since 1910.
Dr. Teresa Ubide, a volcanologist and associate professor at the University of Queensland, stated, “This volcano has been erupting since the early 20th century. What is happening now is quite normal and is producing lava flows.”
The GVP has documented approximately 20 “lava flows” since September 2012.
According to Dr. Ubide, Heard Island is known as an intraplate volcano because it is located in the middle of a tectonic plate rather than at its edge.
The eruption of Big Ben volcano in January 2016. (Photo: CSIRO).
The scientist added that these types of volcanoes are created by a “hotspot” within the Earth and are generally not explosive and produce little ash.
“Many eruptions come from smaller movements. The most recent lava flow seems to be a continuation of what has been happening there since 2012,” Dr. Ubide explained.
Dr. Jodi Fox, a research collaborator at the University of Tasmania and a southern volcanology expert working at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan, mentioned that Heard Island could be dated back to 750,000 to 500,000 years ago. Evidence suggests that the origin of the magma comes from the upper mantle of the Earth, approximately 45 km below the surface.
Commenting on the latest lava flow, she said, “This is really quite typical of how Big Ben volcano operates. The lava flows relatively slowly, and there is hardly any explosive activity. Sometimes there’s a release of steam and gas.”
The expert noted that Big Ben has several unusual characteristics compared to a typical intraplate volcano, as it appears to be rising while similar oceanic volcanoes tend to collapse under their own weight into the Earth’s crust.
Big Ben volcano and Heard Island are situated on the Antarctic Plate. There are over 100 volcanoes in Antarctica, with about 90 of them hidden beneath the ice.
Heard Island and the McDonald Islands are located on the Kerguelen Plateau, which rises about 3,000 meters above the surrounding seabed.
Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano has an elevation of 2,745 meters above sea level—517 meters higher than the highest peak on mainland Australia, Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales.
