Lava eruption in the Holuhraun lava field, 40 kilometres north of the central volcano Bardarbunga
Lava eruption in the Holuhraun lava field, 40 kilometres north of the central volcano Bardarbunga
Holuhraun is a lava field in Iceland’s highlands, north of Vatnajökull glacier; it is part of the Bardarbunga volcanic system. In this image, acquired by the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X, the freshly exposed lava can easily be seen in the right-hand part of the picture. The lighter areas in the image, which have been coloured red to enhance their visibility, show a variation in amplitude – the intensity of the radar signal that comes back to the satellite. The rough surface of the freshly cooled lava reflects the radar signals very strongly, and thus appears bright. Smooth surfaces such as water reflect the incident radar beam away from the satellite and therefore appear dark in the image, like the crater of the Askja volcano in the lower centre of the image.
