Early morning view of the town of Chaiten in southern Chile. In the background clearly visible is volcano Chaiten's rhyolite obsidian lava dome, largely devoid of vegetation.
This image was taken about two months before the volcano's surprising, devastating eruption beginning of May, 2008. The until recently almost unknown volcano was dormant for aproximately 9000 years.
Move the mouse over the image to zoom in on the lava dome.