Hawai'i, USA

The island of Hawai'i has three active volcanoes -- Mauna Loa (center, large), Kilauea (bottom-right), and Hualalai (upper-left). Kilauea began the current East Rift Zone eruption 34 years ago on 3 January 1983. The orange dot in the bottom right of the image is the active lava lake formed in March of 2008 at the summit of Kilauea.<br /><br />January is Volcano Awareness Month at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Hawai'i (Big Island) has a human population of about 185000, highlighting the importance of volcanic monitoring to the local population. Mauna Kea (top-middle) is the highest peak on Hawai'i and has been dormant for the past 4500 years. The astronomical observatories located at its peak are amongst the premier telescopes and observational systems on Earth.

ID: LC80250452013060LGN00

Bands: 6-5-3