The Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma surprised the world after erupting in the Canary Islands. Three weeks after the colossus woke up, the evolution of volcanic activity has kept the world awake, trying to cover every second of the important aspects. It was predicted that the imminent passage of lava would reach the point of joining the sea and although it was not known exactly when this would happen, finally fire and water met. Falling down from a 100 meter high cliff, the lava reached the sea of La Palma, leaving an impressive satellite photograph that will be hard to forget.
Satellite view of the lava flow on La Palma
The satellite image captured by the mission Copernicus Sentinel-2 of the European Space Agency, shows the lava flow from the erupting volcano on the Isla la Palma. The full color photograph shows the Cumbre Vieja volcano still erupting, with a large cloud of ash above its crater. In addition to a path formed by the incandescent red of the lava flow that slowly advances until it joins the Atlantic Ocean. After traveling 6 kilometers, leaving behind a large number of houses and buildings, the lava finally formed a waterfall that can be seen spilling the lava flow into the sea.
At the time of the ESA photograph, the lava formed a volcanic delta that covered approximately 20 hectares on the west coast of La Palma. A delta that continues to modify the morphology of the island on the west coast right now, after the solidification of the material. When it came into contact with the sea, the red-hot material produced a chemical reaction that left behind clouds of white vapor in the Playa Nueva area. The same that can be seen in the image processed in true color.
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The Sentinel-2 mission relies on a constellation of two identical satellites, each with an innovative wide-swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands to monitor changes in the terrestrial surface and vegetation. Thanks to this, it was possible to process a High definition image and in true color, which shows the imminent advance of the lava on La Palma.
A new delta will reach the sea
NASA for its part had already shared satellite images of the volcanic activity of La Palma, although these they were taken before the lava flow reached the Atlantic. The images were taken thanks to the Operational Land Imager (OLI) using the Landsat 8 satellite. Although they do not show the union of the lava with the sea, it is possible to see more closely the flow of lava in the regions through which crossed in La Palma before flowing into the sea.
The satellite image shared by NASA was taken on September 26, almost ten days after the start of the eruption on La Palma. The agency explained that «mMany of the white rectangular features near the shoreline are greenhouses.» He also said that «theThe dark green areas along the coast are crops, probably banana fields.»
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Experts have said that It is not known with certainty how long the eruption of Cumbre Vieja will last. although they have warned that it will probably take weeks or even months more from the start of the activity. It is expected that in the next few days a new cascade of lava joins the sea, further north on the west coast. «The distance of this lava flow from the sea is about 300 meters, so it could form another lava delta on the Perdido beach,» explained María José Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute in the Canary Islands (IGN).
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