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Indonesian volcano eruption imminent: scientist
Blitar, Indonesia (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 A scientist warned on Wednesday that all indications pointed to the imminent eruption of a volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, despite it showing few obvious signs of activity. Mount Kelut, a 1,731-metre (5,712-foot) volcano with a history of deadly eruptions, was put on high alert on October 16, triggering efforts to evacuate some 130,000 people living within 10 kilometres (six miles) of its crater. But the mountain and its fertile farmed slopes have been quiet for the past few days with no drastic changes in the frequency and magnitude of volcanic and tectonic quakes affecting the area. Most residents are spending the nights at temporary shelters further down the slopes but they are returning to work the fields during the day. "The trend is that the centres of the shallow volcanic quakes are moving closer and closer to the surface, and this is the normal pattern prior to an eruption," said Kristianto, a geologist monitoring Kelut. "They (the quake centres) are now less than one kilometre beneath the crater's floor but the mountain will only erupt when these are accompanied by shallow quakes of large amplitude and long, continuous tremors," he told AFP. Although he said that an eruption was impossible to predict accurately, the signs leading to an eruption usually followed the same pattern. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was to tour the area later Tuesday. "We are making preparations for the visit but our priority remains on those displaced," said local official Sigit Raharjo. Geologists have said they expect an eruption of Kelut would comprise of "heat clouds", searing gases and volcanic debris rushing down the slopes, similar to the most recent eruption in 1990 that left 34 dead. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The archipelago nation is home to 129 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Flooding caused 210 deaths in west Africa, said UN
Dakar (AFP) Oct 17, 2007The worst flooding in 30 years that battered west Africa from July hyas caused more than 210 deaths and affected more than 785,000 people, a UN humanitarian regional coordinator in Dakar said Wednesday. |
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