Located 700 kilometers east of Madagascar, Réunion Island is the product of a long-lived mantlehotspoton the floor of the Indian Ocean. The island first emerged above the ocean’s surface about 2 million years ago. It remains active today, with frequent eruptions fromPiton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the island’s eastern side.
Since the 17th century, the volcano has had more than 150 documented eruptions. The most recent began within theEnclos Fouquécaldera on February 13, 2026, with the opening of four fissures that fueled sustainedlava fountainsreaching 10 to 50 meters. Throughout February and March, basaltic lava spilled down the volcano, advancing through forested and grassy areas toward its eastern side.
Thisthermal satellite imageshows lava flowing east toward the ocean on March 28, 2026. The signal reveals the amount of heat emanating from surfaces on Earth based on detections of thermal radiation in two wavelengths. Warmer areas are mapped in yellow and cooler surfaces in blue. The thermal data were overlaid on adigital elevation modelof the island.
Diego Coppola
University of Turin
“The hottest areas, shown as the brightest tones, correspond to the eruptive vent, the active lava channel, and the flow front,” said Adele Campus, a University of Turin volcanologist. From the vent, lava flows downslope for several kilometers, often throughlava tubes. “The places where lava re-emerges at the surface throughbreakoutsappear as localized hotspots,” she added. Campus and colleagues analyzed more than two decades of NASA and NOAA satellite observationsin a 2025 study,identifying key trends and patterns in the volcano’s thermal activity and rate of lava effusion.
On March 13, lavacut throughthe island’s Route Nationale 2. By March 16, it hadbegun to spillinto the Indian Ocean, producing acidic plumes of steam and volcanic gases, known aslaze, according to theObservatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise. Scientists on the ground measured lava temperatures of 1,100 to 1,130 degrees Celsius as lava neared the ocean. Thermal surveys also showed that water temperatures exceeded 36°C up to 600 meters from the entry point, according to OVPF. As of March 24, materials entering the ocean had created a newlava deltathat extended the coastline by 190 meters.
“This eruption appears to be longer and to have produced a larger volume of lava than usual,” said Diego Coppola, a professor of volcanology at the University of Turin who coauthored the analysis with Campus. Such characteristics are often associated with the onset or end of an eruptive cycle. The most recent cycle began in 2014, culminated in 2015, and ended in July 2023. “The current activity,” he said, “likely marks the onset of a new cycle of frequent eruptive activity at Piton de la Fournaise.”
NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from theU.S. Geological Surveyand elevation data from theShuttle Radar Topography Mission.Story by Adam Voiland.
JPEG
Airbus Space, via Réunion island’s volcanic heart ignites once again. Accessed April 1, 2026.
BBCWatch: Reunion resident gets close to lava from erupting volcano. Accessed April 1, 2026.
Global Volcanism ProgramPiton de la Fournaise. Accessed April 1, 2026.
Imaz Press[Photos-Vidéos] Volcan : trois coulées traversent la route nationale 2, la lave à environ 600 mètres de l’océan. Accessed April 1, 2026.
MSNReunion volcano lava reaches ocean for first time in 19 years. Accessed April 1, 2026.
NASA Earth ObservatorySnow Peak, RĂ©union Island. Accessed April 1, 2026.
Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise, via BlueskyPosts. Accessed April 1, 2026.
Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la FournaiseCommuniqués et bulletins. Accessed April 1, 2026.
Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
The volcano in Hawaii is one of the most active in the world, and NASA tech makes it easier for…
Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.
The volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula continues to erupt after centuries of quiescence.
Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox.
NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery.
Explore Earth Science
Open access to NASA’s archive of Earth science data