Indonesia’s most active volcano Mount Merapi erupts; blasts hot ash 600 meters into sky

Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, erupted on Monday, August 16, leaving the villagers residing near it with tonnes of toxic gases and heat. According to Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, it was the biggest lava flow in recent months. A river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 3.5 kilometres down its slopes on the densely populated island of Java could be seen throughout the day. However, the Hazard Mitigation Center said there were no evacuation orders or causalities reported due to the deadly lava eruption. 

Indonesia volcano lava dome just below Merapi’s southwest rim

Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said the lava dome just below Merapi’s southwest rim and the lava dome in the crater both have been active since the end of July. The southwest rim dome volume was estimated at 1.8 million cubic meters (66.9 million cubic feet) and about 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall before partially collapsing on Monday morning, sending pyroclastic flows travelled fast down the southwest flank at least twice. She said that the peak of the lava could be seen in Yogyakarta, an ancient city of several hundred thousand people embedded in a large metro area on the island of Java. It is the city of Javanese culture and a seat of royal dynasties going back centuries.

Volcano eruption in Indonesia is very common 

Meanwhile, the people residing near the were advised to stay at least 5 kilometres away from the crater’s mouth. The agency also familiarised the people about the possibility of the danger posed by lava as some group of people denied the request made by the agency. It is worth noting that Mount Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently. According to the Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, the most powerful eruption was reported around 1930 when at least 1,300 people were killed in the volcanic eruption. In 1994, it took about 60 lives. Merapi’s last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and caused the evacuation of 20,000 villagers. It also said that Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the ocean.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP