Mount Merapi Volcano is active again, and this comes as no surprise to the people who live near this volcano. Indonesia is known for its active and explosive volcanoes, but few are as active as Mount Merapi. What makes the volcano even more dangerous is that it is located near densley populated areas, where evacuating communities can be its own hazard.
The Current Eruption of Mount Merapi Volcano
The current eruption of Mount Merapi began, approximately, the morning of October 26, 2010. Local scientists and resident reported "rumblings" originating from the volcano, which was followed by a small eruption of an ash and gas plume. The ash fell back down on nearby villagers and burned people who were outside their homes trying to flee at the time. Many villagers, who farm on the flanks of the volcano because of the rich and fertile soil, have yet to evacuate as they fear leaving behind their land and possessions.
For now, the eruption is mild and only residents living within four miles of the summit crater have been forced to evacuate. But scientists fear that a much larger eruption is imminent and are currently trying to convince thousands of other residents living on the volcano to evacuate. Fatalities have occurred from the eruption of hot ash and authorities expect more if the volcano's activity increases.
Historical Eruptions of Mount Merapi
Mount Merapi Volcano is 9,737 feet high and the name "Merapi" means "mountain of fire". Historical records of eruptions date back to 1548, and using radiocarbon techniques, volcanologists have dated eruptions as far back as 8700 BC. Many of these recorded and ancient eruptions include lava flows, ash falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows and dome collapses. Through history, Mount Merapi has proved to be a very deadly volcano. Fatalities associated with eruptions have occurred during every single decade of the 20th century.
The volcano is a product of subduction zone volcanism in the Pacific Ocean. Many of these volcanoes, especially those located in Indonesia like Mount Merapi, are extremely active and explosive. Mount Merapi is the youngest and southernmost volcano along a line of volcano islands that were created from the subduction of the Indian Ocean crust beneath the Asian plate. This subduction zone has also created a trench, called the Java Trench, which played a role in the 2004 Indonesia tsunami.
Hazards Associated with Mount Merapi
As with any volcanic eruption, there are two types of hazards that can harm people and they are categorized as primary hazards and secondary hazards. Primary hazards are hazards associated directly with volcanic activity, such as ash falls, pyroclastic flows, earthquakes, toxic gases and lava flows. Secondary hazards result from evacuation and the chaos that can take over when large and vulnerable communities of people are displaced from their homes. This type of hazard can include emotional distress, particularly for children, malnutrition and dehydration, exposure to disease and an increase in crime and violence.
The hazards associated with eruptions from Mount Merapi are caused by explosive eruptions, which include ash fall, pyroclastic flows, lahars and landslides (or dome collapses). It is one of 129 active volcanoes in the Indonesia region, so local residents are very familiar with the hazards. The current eruption has caused many injuries from hot ash falling on people attempting to evacuate. Scientists in the area fear that a larger eruption could cause many more fatalities. The Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (VSI) now operates a network of 64 volcano observatories continuously monitoring 59 volcanoes.
Sources:
Indonesia Volcanoes and Volcanics, usgs.gov
Merapi Eruptive History, volcano.si.edu
Alexandra Matiella Novak - With a PhD in Geology and expertise in science education, Alexandra is passionate about increasing the public's Earth science literacy.
