Merapi Blows Her Top

After weeks of taunting... Merapi finally erupts on the 17th May with the largest cloud of hot gases yet. Typical of it's stratvolaconoe character, Merapi erupted in the highly eruptive Plinian fashion throwing up ash clouds kilometres high. Days before this eruption, Merapi had sent debris more than 2 miles down her slope along with smaller ash clouds. The top of Merapi was obscured by thick grey and white clouds, which trailed down the volcano’s slopes.














Merapi sending the largest ash cloud so far as she erupts. (taken from http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/EKW11205150205_sp.jpeg)

scenes of the eruption

There is caution however, that Merapi's eruption process could be gradual rather than a sudden burst, and that the massive eruption might had yet to come.

• The pyroclastic flows of ash, gas and debris are generated at the volcano's summit which increases in size when the hot lava dome grows larger.
• Once the dome collapses, there will be landslides and avalanches down the sides of the volcano, destroying everything in its path.
• They can spread over the wide area, being easily picked up by the wind.
• When this happens, more hot air and gas are released and its fluidity is increased rapidly.
• With its acceleration and unpredictability of predicting where it might go (unlike lava flows), it is therefore much harder to plan effective evacuation routes.
• Further dangers include pyroclastic flows burning people alive, destroying infrastructure, killing crops and livestock and its ash pose a safety threat to the poorly constructed houses (possible buckling and collaspe) typical of the area around Mt Merapi.

In the next post, we'll look into the prediction and mitigation of Merapi's 2006 hissy fit (eruption).