Mount Merapi on the island of Java which is the most volatile volcano in Indonesia erupted Sunday morning. The most densely populated island in Indonesia is Java, hosting up to fifteen active volcanoes. Of over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Merapi is the most active.
Mount Merapi
The stratovolcano which is 9,737-foot (2.968-meter) high, in recent weeks has seen much volcanic activity, discharging plumes of ash far into the atmosphere and with a dome of hardened lava rapidly developing on its peak.
The lava dome partly collapsed on Sunday morning, sending not less than seven pyroclastic flows, a combination of hot debris, gases, and lava, 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) down its slopes. Ash produced as a result of the eruption covered several villages and surrounding towns, but no deaths were reported.
This volcano is one of the sixteen "Decade Volcanoes." These decade volcanoes are capable of producing large, possibly destructive eruptions in places that are densely populated. The last major eruption of Merapi was in 2010 and it claimed the lives of 347 people and displaced 10,000. This 2010 eruption is one of deadliest volcanic eruption in recent years.
Why Indonesia Frequently Experiences Volcanic Eruptions
Indonesia experiences volcanic eruptions and earthquakes frequently and this is because it is positioned close to an intersection of shifting tectonic plates, like the Eurasian plate, Australian plate, Pacific plate, and Philippine plate.
As portions of the colliding plates and seafloor are forced into Earth's mantle and partly liquefies, blobs of hot magma come up and merge with water and gases which subducted marine sediments discharge, thereby causing volcanic eruptions that are highly explosive on the surface.
Mount Merapi Eruption 2010
Towards the ending of October and the beginning of November 2010, eruptions at Mount Merapi in Indonesia made lahars, ash plumes, and pyroclastic flows. The volcano also discharged sulfur dioxide - a gas with no color that can cause harm to human health and cool the climate of the Earth.
On the 9th of November 2010, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Australia, made a report of a sulfur dioxide cloud above the Indian Ocean between 12,000 and 15,000 meters (40,000 and 50,000 feet), in the troposphere.
The sulfur dioxide effects differ depending on the quantity discharged, the altitude where the gas is concentrated, the latitude where the emission takesk place, and weather patterns and regional wind.
Sulfur dioxide is an irritant to human eyes, skin, and the upper respiratory tract at ground level. Sulfur dioxide can go through a series of chemical reactions at higher altitudes, thereby impacting the environment.
For example, sulfur dioxide can produce sulfate ions which are precursors to sulfuric acid by reacting with water vapor. Apart from boosting the risk of acid rain, the ions can possibly react to bring about particles that reflect sunlight.
Related Article: Volcanic Eruptions Underwater Release Enough Energy to Power an Entire Continent!
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