This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures an active lava flow on the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion Island.
Zoom in or click on the circles to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution.
Located in the western Indian Ocean, the island of Réunion is a French overseas department about 680 km east of Madagascar. Réunion's volcanic origins make its landscape particularly rugged in places, and covered by lush vegetation in others. Cultivated land and cities, visible as grey-white clusters, are concentrated on the coastal lowlands. The capital and largest city is Saint-Denis, on the northern coast, mostly covered by clouds in the image.
The centre of the island shelters three vast cirques, or calderas, created by huge collapses. Together they form the dormant shield volcano, and highest peak of the island, Piton des Neiges (3069 m), which peeps out in brown from beneath the clouds near the centre of the image.
Although Réunion hosts multiple volcanoes, only one is currently active: the Piton de la Fournaise shield volcano, one of the most active on Earth, which dominates the southeastern part of the island. This image, from 21 March 2026, shows a lava flow on its western flank, following an eruption that began in mid-February. Although the image has been processed in natural colour, the Sentinel-2’s shortwave infrared channels were also used to highlight the fiery lava pouring from the crater, seen here in yellow and red.
During the eruption, lava reached the ocean for the first time in nearly two decades. In this image, the lava is visible flowing towards the coast and spilling into the Indian Ocean. A plume of ash and smoke can also be seen spewing from the crater and drifting westwards, while signs of older eruptions appear on the flanks of the crater as dark brown flows of solidified lava.
Satellite data are an excellent means to monitor eruptions. Once an eruption begins, optical missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-2 can capture smoke plumes, lava flows, mudslides and can be used to help assess damage.
Furthermore, radar instruments and atmospheric sensors can provide complementary data to identify ground fissures, possible earthquakes, measure the gases and aerosols released by the eruption and follow the spread and movement of volcanic plumes, helping assess the environmental impact and possible hazards to population and aviation.
