English: Image of the Week - Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala

Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala erupted on January 31, 2018, and Landsat 8 acquired an image of the eruption a day later. A plume of ash rises from the mountain’s peak to an altitude of 6,500 meters (21,300 feet). Wind has carried the ash 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west and southwest.

The stratovolcano has erupted on and off for centuries. Evidence of previous eruptions can be seen in the Landsat 7 image from January 8, 2018. The spidery streaks coming from the volcano’s peak are previous pyroclastic and lava flows. A puff of steam casts a narrow shadow toward the northwest in that image as well. Just north of Volcán de Fuego is its twin Acatenango. U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey

The instruments onboard Landsat 8 have been spotting volcanic eruptions, floods, wildfires, and myriad other changes to the Earth’s surface since the satellite launched on February 11, 2013. After five years in orbit, Landsat 8 continues the Landsat Program’s unprecedented record of natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape.