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Emergency Observation of Mount Merapi Eruption in Indonesia by AVNIR-2 onboard "Daichi" (ALOS)

Mount Merapi of Java in Indonesia was erupted on October 26, 2010. It causes some 10 people to be killed or injured and some 1000 people to be evacuated who live in the mountain base district. Sentinel Asia has performed the emergency observation to monitor the state of the damage by the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2)* onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS, "Daichi") at 11:49 (JST) or 2:49 (UTC) on October 29, 2010.

Fig. 1 shows an observed image and is color assigned band 3, 2 and 1 of AVNIR-2 as the true color composite.
Fig.1
Fig.1: AVNIR-2 image with -26.0 degree pointing angle acquired at 11:49 on October 29, 2010 (JST). Yellow squares show location of Figs. 2.
(Click to view enlarged image)
Fig. 2 is enlarged image of Mount Merapi, which was taken after eruption on October 29, 2010 (left) and before the eruption on June 17, 2008 (right). It is assigned band 4, 3 and 2 of AVNIR-2 as the false color composite, therefore vegetation can be seen in red. New traces of pyroclastic flow have been found in the southeast slope of the mountain showed by yellow box.
Fig.2
Fig.2: Enlarged images of Mount Merapi. (400 square kilometers, left: October 29, 2010; right: June 17, 2008).

Yellow square shows location of Fig.3. (Click to View Enlarged Image)

(Click to view enlarged image)
Fig. 3 is enlarged image of area, which showed in yellow box in Fig. 2. In the image of before eruption some roads and developed districts along the road can be seen but in the image of after the eruption those seemed to be burnt by pyroclastic flow.
Fig.3
Fig.3: Enlarged images at the southeast slope of Mount Merapi. (16 square kilometers, left: October 29, 2010; right: June 17, 2008).
(Click to view enlarged image)

JAXA plans continuous observation of this area in the future as well, these acquired images were provided to Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics And Space (LAPAN) via "Sentinel Asia".

* Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2):

AVNIR-2 is a visible and near infrared radiometer for observing land and coastal zones. It provides 10-m spatial-resolution image and 70-km swath on the ground. The pointing angle of AVNIR-2 is +44 and - 44 degrees. This image was acquired by 26.0 degrees east.

JAXA EORC