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Officials brace for Indonesia volcano eruption
Jakarta (AFP) Oct 9, 2007 Indonesian officials in two districts on the slopes of a volcano on Java island have been put on standby -- with all leave cancelled -- because of a potential eruption, officials said Tuesday. The order, which means they should not leave the districts, was issued "so evacuation and relief efforts can proceed smoothly," said Agus, spokesman for one of the two areas who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Officials said that evacuation drills had been conducted in at least nine villages near Mount Kelut in the past week. "There have been no significant changes, Kelut is still at the same alert status level," said Agus Budianto, a geologist monitoring the mountain. Mount Kelut has been placed on the second highest of four alert levels. Budianto said it had been showing signs of increasing volcanic and seismic activities in past weeks, and that the state volcanology office had warned of an eruption at any time. A district spokesman said the volcanology office warned that signs of an imminent blow-out were much stronger this time than preceding an eruption in 1990. That was the last time the 1,731-metre (5,712-foot) volcano went off. An estimated 15,000 people have been killed by the volcano in the last 500 years, including around 10,000 in a 1568 eruption. Authorities have closed off a five-kilometre (three-mile) zone around the crater of the mountain and told residents to prepare to evacuate at the first sign of any explosion. Although Mount Kelut's slopes are sparsely inhabited, its peak is a popular domestic tourist destination and overlooks a densely-populated plain. Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Satellite Methods For Monitoring Volcanic Activity In The Andes Cordillera
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 08, 2007The central part of the Andes situated between southern Peru and Chile bears 50 active or potentially volcanoes, spread along a 1500 km-long arc. These volcanic structures mostly rise to between 4000 and 7000 m, are very remote with abrupt slopes and are often cloaked in snow. Few studies have been made on them as such conditions make field surveying extremely difficult. A team of IRD researchers working in partnership with the University of Chile (Santiago) and the Observatoire de Physique du Globe of Clermont-Ferrand focused special attention on the Lastarria-Cordon del Azufre volcanic complex. |
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