The satellite recorded the eruption of the Australian volcano near Antarctica: PHOTO
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The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite recorded another eruption of Australia’s Mawson Peak stratovolcano on Heard Island for the first time in a decade. It is one of two active volcanoes in Australia near Antarctica, The Guardian reports. Heard Island is uninhabited and located approximately 4,100 km southwest of the Australian city of Perth and 1,500 km north of Antarctica. The lava flow on the island is part of an eruption that first occurred more than a decade ago. Volcanologists called its source the upper mantle of the Earth, which is located approximately 45 kilometers below the surface. Photo: Sentinel-2 Reports compiled by the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanology Program in the US indicate that the current lava flow is part of an “eruptive episode” that has been ongoing since September 2012. Scientists assume that the old Mawson Peak volcano is 750,000 to 500,000 years old. Dr Teresa Ubide, a volcano researcher and adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, said: “This volcano has been erupting since the early 20th century. What is happening is completely normal.” The scientist noted that Herd Island is known as an intraplate volcano, as it is located inside a tectonic plate, and not on its edge. Read also: In Mexico, a volcano spews columns of smoke and ash. VIDEO
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