Earlier this week, a pyroclastic flow, a fast-moving avalanche of ash, lava
fragments and air, was seen racing down the peak. Since then, the volcano has
blasted out one to two ash explosions every day. Lava has flowed more than
1,000 meters (3,200 feet) from the top of the volcano.
Superheated ash and gas flowing down the slopes of Indonesia's Sinabung
volcano signals the intensity of eruptions may be increasing at the fiery
mountain, according to local officials.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from towns and villages in North Sumatra's Karo Regency since Mount
Sinabung awoke in October after a three-year dormancy.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation
warned people not to approach within 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) of Mount
Sinabung. Karo is an agricultural region that supplies vegetables for surrounding
islands.
- The evacuation and devastating ash fall have affected crop harvests, leading to higher prices on vegetables and chilies elsewhere in Indonesia, according to the Jakarta Post.
Indonesia lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of crustal
collision zones that is the cause of a great number of earthquakes and
volcanoes. The island nation has more than 130 active volcanoes. The world's
most deadly volcanic eruption in recent years was at its Mount Merapi in 2010,
which killed more than 350 people.
Source: Agencies
Post a Comment