Glacier Hazards From Space

Chain reactions that enhance the impact of small trigger events often characterize glacier disasters. Here, a comparably small glacier lake (unseen below bottom edge of image) in the Pamir Mountains of Tadjikistan in Central Asia burst out and triggered a debris flow. The corresponding material spilled into the river (flowing from right to left in image), suddenly damming it. The tan, mushroom-shaped debris fan is clearly visible at the exit of a gorge into the main river valley. Officials quickly cut a channel through the far side of the fan to lower the lake level and prevent an outburst. Note that in this image, vegetation appears red.