© NOAA
The Suomi NPP satellite snapped this image of Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano on April 16, 2012 after a new eruption that sent an ash plume high into the sky.
The Suomi NPP satellite snapped this image of Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano on April 16, 2012 after a new eruption that sent an ash plume high into the sky.
The eruption covered about 30 communities with ash, ranging from a light dusting to up to 7 centimeters (2.8 inches), according to Wired's Eruptions Blog.
There are signs that new magma inside the volcano is near the surface, says Eruptions Blog author Erik Klemetti, a professor of geosciences at Denison University in Ohio.
Popocatépetl, whose name means "smoking mountain" in Aztec, is the second highest volcano in North America, at 17,802 feet (5,426 meters). Only Mexico's Pico de Orizaba is taller.
The volcano's alert status has been raised to Yellow Stage 3, the third highest stage, by Mexico's National Center for Prevention of Disasters. There are seven total alert stages.
