An astronaut on the International Space Station photographed the Alaid volcano peeking through thick, swirling clouds over the Kuril Islands.
The image, taken on Aug. 2, 2019, shows the summit of the Alaid volcano rising above low-lying clouds on Atlasov Island.
The Alaid volcano defines the shape of Atlasov Island. Its lava flows reached sea level and solidified around the exposed cone to create the landmass.
Alaid is the tallest peak in the Kuril Islands, reaching 7,497 feet above sea level. It functions as the summit of a larger underwater volcano beneath the Sea of Okhotsk.
Millions of years ago, a land bridge likely connected this structure to the Kamchatka Peninsula. That bridge has since been submerged.
Atlasov Island is the northernmost landmass in the Kuril Islands. This chain consists of approximately 50 largely uninhabited volcanic islands located along a fault line between Russia and Japan.
The island sits 40 miles off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. That region is also known for volcanic activity.
In the astronaut’s photograph, roughly half of the island is visible above the clouds. The summit features a caldera about one mile wide that remains obscured by the cloud layer.
Alaid has erupted at least nine times during the last 50 years. In April 1981, the volcano released a plume of thick smoke and ash that extended 1,250 miles into the atmosphere, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
The most recent activity occurred between September and November 2022. A river of lava flowed down the snow-covered slopes during this period.
Previous lava flows created snow-filled gullies along the flanks of the volcano. NASA’s Earth Observatory notes that small openings called parasitic cones can be seen around the edge of the cloud layer in the photograph.
A major eruption in 1972 scoured the area with hot ash. This event left a cluster of parasitic cones on the northwest flank devoid of vegetation.
A 2009 study indicated fresh signs of recovery in that area. However, researchers noted it could take hundreds of years for vegetation to reach pre-eruption levels.
The region contains several other volcanic structures. Astronauts and satellites have documented a quartet of volcanoes positioned end-to-end on Simushir Island.
Onekotan Island contains a series of volcanic “nesting dolls.” In 2022, the Landsat 8 satellite captured the summit of Mount Vesuvius in Italy appearing through a gap in the clouds, similar to the view of Alaid.