English: On October 20, 2017, the Tinakula volcano in the Solomon Islands roared to life after more than 5 years of slumber. The first eruption was reported at 19:20 UTC (3:20 p.m. EDT) and a second at 23:40 UTC (7:40 p.m. EDT), each sending ash high into the air. Tinakula’s summit typically experiences violent strombolian activity during eruptions, making it likely that the ash was accompanied by glowing lava bombs in dramatic display, even though the remoteness of the location makes first hands reports unlikely.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the erupting volcano as it passed over Tinakula at 23:20 UTC (7:20 p.m. EDT) on October 20. Thick clouds cover Tinakula as well as surrounding islands. A large gray plume of volcanic ash can be seen rising through the cloud.

According to the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), ash clouds reached an altitude of 35,000 feet (10.7 km) above sea level.