Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Anak Krakatau volcano spewed smoke
2007-11-15 07:27:06
Jakarta - Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano spewed smoke and flaming rocks hundreds of metres from its crater Wednesday although it was not in danger of erupting, an official said. Anton - a government vulcanologist at a monitoring post near the volcano, which lies in the Sunda Strait between the Java and Sumatra islands - said its volcanic activity continued to fluctuate.Anton, who like many Indonesians uses one name, said that since Tuesday evening, a river of lava and red-hot rocks had been sliding down the slopes as far as 400 metres from Anak Krakatoa's crater.
Despite scientists' estimations that the volcano was not especially dangerous at present, Anton warned fishermen and visitors to stay beyond a 3-kilometre radius from the mountain because it would continue to rumble for some time.The volcano's sudden eruption in June 1994 killed one US tourist and injured three Britons and two Indonesians.
Anak Krakatau, which means "Child of Krakatau," formed in the Sunda Strait after the legendary eruption and explosion of Mount Krakatau in 1883, which triggered tsunamis and killed more than 36,000 people in what was then Dutch-controlled Indonesia. The eruption was among the largest ever recorded, and Anak Krakatau was born in its aftermath.The younger volcano rumbled to life nearly three weeks ago and has since been dazzling scientists and visitors with its pyrotechnics.
Meanwhile, vulcanologists warned residents living on the slopes of the rumbling Mount Kelud volcano in East Java province to keep their distance as it continued to spew hot ash and lava.On November 8, scientists downgraded Kelud's status to alert level three after it appeared the volcano was experiencing only a slow eruption and a powerful explosion was unlikely. Authorities have also allowed thousands of residents to return to their homes on the volcano's slopes after they were forced to evacuate to emergency shelters for more than three weeks.
However, Kelud's activity remained high, scientist Agus Budianto said, explaining that tremors were continuing and a lava dome, created by lava oozing through cracks, had emerged from the crater like an "island" and was continuing to expand.
"Lava is constantly shooting out of the crater," Budianto said from a nearby monitoring post. "We recommend people keep their distance."
Budianto said closed-circuit television showed that the newly emerging lava dome was now up to 200 metres in diameter and stood 140 metres above the surface of the lava lake.
He said clouds of smoke billowed up to 2,500 metres into the air Wednesday morning and ash covered a number of villages as far as 15 kilometres from the volcano's crater.
Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world, with about 500 along the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where seismic and volcanic activity is common. Nearly 130 are active and 65 are listed as dangerous.
Original Source: Earth Times
Jakarta - Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano spewed smoke and flaming rocks hundreds of metres from its crater Wednesday although it was not in danger of erupting, an official said. Anton - a government vulcanologist at a monitoring post near the volcano, which lies in the Sunda Strait between the Java and Sumatra islands - said its volcanic activity continued to fluctuate.Anton, who like many Indonesians uses one name, said that since Tuesday evening, a river of lava and red-hot rocks had been sliding down the slopes as far as 400 metres from Anak Krakatoa's crater.
Despite scientists' estimations that the volcano was not especially dangerous at present, Anton warned fishermen and visitors to stay beyond a 3-kilometre radius from the mountain because it would continue to rumble for some time.The volcano's sudden eruption in June 1994 killed one US tourist and injured three Britons and two Indonesians.
Anak Krakatau, which means "Child of Krakatau," formed in the Sunda Strait after the legendary eruption and explosion of Mount Krakatau in 1883, which triggered tsunamis and killed more than 36,000 people in what was then Dutch-controlled Indonesia. The eruption was among the largest ever recorded, and Anak Krakatau was born in its aftermath.The younger volcano rumbled to life nearly three weeks ago and has since been dazzling scientists and visitors with its pyrotechnics.
Meanwhile, vulcanologists warned residents living on the slopes of the rumbling Mount Kelud volcano in East Java province to keep their distance as it continued to spew hot ash and lava.On November 8, scientists downgraded Kelud's status to alert level three after it appeared the volcano was experiencing only a slow eruption and a powerful explosion was unlikely. Authorities have also allowed thousands of residents to return to their homes on the volcano's slopes after they were forced to evacuate to emergency shelters for more than three weeks.
However, Kelud's activity remained high, scientist Agus Budianto said, explaining that tremors were continuing and a lava dome, created by lava oozing through cracks, had emerged from the crater like an "island" and was continuing to expand.
"Lava is constantly shooting out of the crater," Budianto said from a nearby monitoring post. "We recommend people keep their distance."
Budianto said closed-circuit television showed that the newly emerging lava dome was now up to 200 metres in diameter and stood 140 metres above the surface of the lava lake.
He said clouds of smoke billowed up to 2,500 metres into the air Wednesday morning and ash covered a number of villages as far as 15 kilometres from the volcano's crater.
Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world, with about 500 along the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where seismic and volcanic activity is common. Nearly 130 are active and 65 are listed as dangerous.
Original Source: Earth Times
