AA-2026-AFE917
On the image
An island caught mid-eruption rises from dark ocean, its slopes wreathed in white steam that boils off in two distinct plumes as though the mountain cannot decide how angry it wants to be. This is the kind of photograph taken from a military or survey aircraft in the era when such reconnaissance missions were treated as routine adventure, the pilot banking to get a better look at geological drama unfolding at five thousand feet below. The deep blue water and the particulate quality of the light suggest tropical Pacific, the 1940s or 1950s, when volcanic monitoring was still a casual affair of pilots with cameras and geologists taking notes. Someone believed this was worth documenting, filed it away, and assumed the volcano would either settle down or become someone else's problem by next week.
Visually related — by likeness
Aerial View of Volcanic Island with Steam Plumes, Mid-20th Century. 1940–1960. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-AFE917. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-volcanic-island-with-steam-plumes-mid-20th-century.
@misc{aaAA2026AFE917,
title = {Aerial View of Volcanic Island with Steam Plumes, Mid-20th Century},
year = {1940–1960},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-AFE917},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-volcanic-island-with-steam-plumes-mid-20th-century}
}TY - ART TI - Aerial View of Volcanic Island with Steam Plumes, Mid-20th Century PY - 1940–1960 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-AFE917 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-volcanic-island-with-steam-plumes-mid-20th-century ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.