Pre-eruption SIGNS!!

A famer having a cigarette break alongside the smoking Mt Merapi.


Mt. Merapi angrily spews large amount of gas which are rich in sulphur (as seen from the happily-bright yellow color)

(pictures taken from www.bbc.co.uk)

How can an imminent volcanic eruption take place without pre eruption signs??
as seen from the above pictures, Mt Merapi actually 'warned' the people by

• producing large amount of ash, gas and rock fragments before the eruption took place. The increase in volcanic activity took place 2 months prior to the eruption in 2006.
• The rising magma level in Mt merapi observed on the 1st may 2006 is also another tell-tale sign of the eruption.
• Furthermore, there is a noted increase in seismic activities in regions around Mt Merapi by triggering more than 150 tremors
• The increase in seismic activites happens as the magma flow melts and splits the basement rocks

hahaha short and sweet post eh? anyways, keep a look out for the next post.. which will hi-light the details of the eruption on 17th may 2006!

cheers for the annoyingly short entry! ^^

details of the formation of Mt Merapi!! ((:

Hi to all again!! ((:

the exact formation details!!

• As mentioned before, Mt Merapi is one of the many many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire (more about this later)
• It is formed by the collision of the indo-australian plate and the eurasian plate -- with the denser indo-australian plate subducting
• As the plate subducts, it is then dipped into the asthenosphere.
• With the incredibly high temperature at the asthenosphere, the cooler lithosphere (in this case, the indo-australian plate) will undergo partial melting
• With melting of the lithosphere, this "new magma" generated is less dense then the surrounding molten rocks due to the presence of sea water and external mineral
• The sea water lowers the temperature of the molten rocks in the over-riding plate (eurasian), making the rocks denser.
• This allows the "mew magma" to make its way up to the surface
• A chain of volcanoes are formed and Mt Merapi happens to be one of them!
• by the way, the type of lava produced by such a formation (i.e. the "new magma" ) is andesitic in nature
• Andesitic lava increases the danger of the eruption
• This is so as it is more viscous as compare to basaltic lava, hence,higher chances of hazards like ashflows and pyroclastic flows
• Eruptions are also more explosive and violent due to the build up in dissolved volatiles and pressure

  

** The next post will give you a better description and idea of the pre-eruption proccess. namely, how did Mt merapi behave? how did the people and government react?

Welcome back!

In this post, we shall dwell deeper into the mysteries of the infamous MOUNT MERAPI by learning about its formation.

As one of about 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Merapi was formed by the subduction of the denser Indo-Australian plate beneath the Eurasian plate. To give u a better picture of what we are saying, we have provided(waddya know!) a picture of the plates below.

Moving on... let us take a look at the young, yet dangerously active volcanoe's most recent eruption...

The descriptions of the pre-eruption is a real-life account by a freelance reporter:

Background info: This account is dated May 6, 2006. Then, the alert level at Merapi was at 4, the highest possible level. Prior to this, plumes of hot gas, and lava flows had already heralded the coming of a major eruption

Pre-eruption account:

"Watching lava spill out of a volcano was arresting. I was arrested. Even from 6 miles away, its 2000 Fahrenheit glow knocked the wind out of me. A burning river tumbled down the mountainside, splashing orange bright beads like ocean spray along the way."

"As one of the flows turned toward us, I felt vulnerable as a blade of grass in a brush fire. Though I knew it probably wouldn’t make it even half the distance, I shuddered."

Judging from this reporter's description of an experience as harrowing and hair-raising as this, we all can guess that this eruption most probably won't just be yet another of the volcanoe's empty threats.

Mount Merapi
Wanna find out what happens next? Come back soon and read out next post to find out more about the pre-eruption period of Mount Merapi (2006)

The one that's closest to us -- Mt. Merapi (intro)

Hi to all!

Firstly we shall look at Mt Merapi in Indonesia... which actually erupted last year.

Some statistics of the volcano:

• Height: 2,914 metres
• Location: Central Java, indonesia --> part of the Ring of Fire
• Type of volcano: stratovolcanoes
• Type of eruption: peleean (lateral blast)
  
  
  
  

Mt. merapi "innocently" spewing ash and dust particles (pre-eruption)

Reasons why it is so dangerous (outlines):

• Periodic collapse of the lava dome results in the formation of nuee ardentes (more than any volcanoes on earth) and lahars --> main hazards
  
• Close proximity to densely populated areas -- 30km from Yogyakarta; rural villages located right at the foot of Merapi --> hence the hazards affect people DIRECTLY
  
• Mindset of the people - their unwillingness to evacuate despite the warnings issued by government

Lahars and pyroclastic flows burying a village

collapse of lava dome -- formation of nuee ardentes

** for the next post we shall look at the formation of Mt Merapi and take a closer look at the more recent eruption (ie 2006)

stay tune(:!

Okay!

This very late first post shall introduce you to the DECADE VOLCANOES!!!

What are Decade Volcanoes??? They are actually 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as having a history of large and destructive eruptions and are incredibly close to densely-populated areas.

Some of the volcanic hazards that people face are tephra falls, pyroclastic flow, silicic lava flows, lahar and lava dome collapse.

The 16 current Decade Volcanoes:

• Avachinsky-Koryaksky, Kamchatka, Russia
  
• Colima, Mexico
  
• Mount Etna, Italy


• Galeras, Colombia


• Mauna Loa, Hawaii, USA


• Merapi, Indonesia


• Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo


• Mount Rainier, Washington, USA


• Sakurajima, Japan


• Santamaria/Santiaguito, Guatemala


• Santorini, Greece


• Taal Volcano, Philippines


• Teide, Canary Islands, Spain


• Ulawun, Papua New Guinea


• Mount Unzen, Japan


• Vesuvius, Italy
  

We shall focus on the four volcanoes in orange listed above.

We will be looking at the ways that the eruptions had affected the local population and the various means and measures taken to minimize destruction, and also the difference in the impacts of the volcanoes on DCs and LDCs.

Pictures:

Lava flow from Mauna Loa in 1984. (taken from www.geokem.com)

Merapi eruption. (taken from http://wew.id.or.id/images/Merapi_Nov96.JPG)

Nyiragongo, Congo (taken from http://www.volcano.si.edu/images/small/058064.jpg)

Vesuvius, Italy (taken from http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/italy_except_rome_and_sicily/vesuvius/ac780821.jpg)