Villagers flee as Indonesia volcano spews ash

The Associated Press

Published: Monday, July 22, 2013

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia's most volatile volcano spewed smoke and ash Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their villages along its slopes, a disaster official said.

Mount Merapi on the main island of Java rumbled as heavy rain fell around its cloud-covered crater, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, disaster mitigation agency spokesman.

The volcano unleashed a column of dark red volcanic material 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) into the air, and the ash made the rain thick and muddy in several villages as terrified residents fled to safety, he said.

The sound was heard 30 kilometers (18 miles) away, but an eruption did not occur and the volcano's alert level was not raised, Nugroho said.

The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) mountain is the most active of 500 Indonesian volcanoes. Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130722/API/1307220572?Title=Villagers-flee-as-Indonesia-volcano-spews-ash

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Sakurajima volcano (Kyushu, Japan) activity update

Monday Jul 22, 2013 | BY: T

Explosion with lightnings from Sakurajima at 20:02 on 21 July

Eruption column from the explosion at 20:02

Lightning inside the eruption cloud about 1 hour after the explosion

A strong vulcanian explosion occurred last night at 11:02 GMT (20:02 local time), following several hours of near complete calm at the volcano. A loud cannon-shot bang accompanied the explosion, which generated a large mushroom cloud that reached 12,000 ft (3.7 km) altitude and engulfed the NE half of the Sakurajima peninsula and was followed by several smaller ones within about half an hour.
The volcano and much of the surrounding areas remained under the ash plume for several hours until it started to clear up again. In the hours after the explosion, the Showa crater continued to emit ash plumes in often near-continuous pulses, sometimes reaching several 100 m height, but with no visible incandescence or audible sounds.

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/view_news/35684/Sakurajima-volcano-Kyushu-Japan-activity-update.html

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Experts detect increased activity at Turrialba Volcano

Posted: Sunday, July 21, 2013 - By L. Arias

Turrialba Volcano National Park is maintaining a green (preventive) alert and is closed to the public.

Robert Utsman posted this picture of the Turrialba Volcano on the RSN Facebook page. Courtesy of Robert Utsman

Experts from the National Seismological Network (RSN) at the University of Costa Rica reported an increase in seismic activity at the Turrialba Volcano, located east of the province of Cartago.

The report indicates that increased volcanic activity was recorded starting on July 13.

"Before that date there was an average of 20 volcanic temblors per day, but now we are registering some 30 per hour. That average has remained constant until this day [July 18]. These earthquakes last 10-15 seconds on average and therefore are mostly of low energy," the report stated.

Turrialba Volcano National Park is maintaining a green (preventive) alert and is closed to the public, "but the information gathered is intended to alert the population and not to alarm them," the report added.

RSN volcanologist Gino González said current volcano behavior is the same that preceded the last major Turrialba eruptions in 2010 and 2012.

"It is not possible to predict an eruption, however, studies to date indicate that the volcano is in an imbalance that could culminate in an eruption," read one of the conclusions of the report.

The main events recorded are called "hybrid earthquakes," which produce small rock fracturing and fluid circulation.

The last increase in seismicity at Turrialba Volcano took place between April 21 and June 10. During that period there were at least two phreatic eruptions and ash spewing from the gaps formed in 2010 and 2012.

http://www.ticotimes.net/More-news/News-Briefs/Experts-detect-increased-activity-at-Turrialba-Volcano_Sunday-July-21-2013