Anatahan active crater (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) on May 29, 2006

This is an oblique, aerial view into the active crater of Anatahan on May 29, 2006, located on the eastern side of the island. Gas plumes were rising form new dome material within the crater where a small crater lake appears with a bright green color. The dome rock was first observed in 2004; the crater lake had persisted since activity in the 1990s although dramatic changes to the crater occurred in 2003. In the distance, on the right-hand side of the photo, the ash-covered valley gently drains north to another low-lying pond on the island.