Villarrica, Chile

While I was at the 2004 IAVCEI meeting, I was able to visit Villarrica, with its active lava lake. If you have ever been in Pucon, you'd know that you can step out on any clear night and look up to see the glowing summit of the volcano. In this 2010 image, you can see some ash from the summit deposited on the snowy slopes of the volcano in a small, dark stream to the southeast. A small steam plume can also been seen from the main summit, coming from the lava lake.

Fondest memory: Flaming volcano cakes and dancing children at the dinner for the IAVCEI meeting.

Image: ISS image taken March 11, 2010. NASA.