Science
US-India satellite tracks active Russian volcanic eruption in time-lapse footage
The joint NISAR satellite captured the volcano's first eruption in nearly 500 years, according to NASA News.
The short version
- The joint US-India NISAR satellite used radar data to construct a time-lapse video tracking lava flows from Russia's Krasheninnikov volcano.[NASA News]
- The volcano began erupting in August 2025 following a major offshore earthquake, marking its first active period since around 1550.[NASA News]
- Data collected from December 2025 to August 2026 shows molten rock filling calderas and expanding outward in a fan shape.[NASA News]
- Scientists plan to utilize NISAR's near-global radar imagery to monitor natural hazards and aid future emergency response efforts.[NASA News]
Key facts
- Researchers used 17 NISAR radar frames from December 2025 to August 2026 to assemble a time-lapse video of lava flows at Krasheninnikov volcano.[NASA News]
- The eruption began days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the nearby ocean on July 30, 2025.[NASA News]
- Krasheninnikov had previously been dormant since around 1550.[NASA News]
- NISAR orbits at an altitude of 464 miles and images the region twice every 12 days.[NASA News]
What remains uncertain
- A northwest lava flow observed in the images likely formed prior to NISAR's initial observation in December 2025.[NASA News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.