Jakarta: Lava has erupted from Indonesia’s Mount Slamet volcano early on Thursday morning as seen from Pandansari village in Central Java province. Ash has fallen on some villages and activity is banned within 4km of the peak.
Authorities have made preparations to move nearly 24,000 residents from seven villages that are within 6 kilometers of the crater, if Slamet becomes more dangerous.
Indonesia has about 130 active volcanos and Java is its most densely populated island, home to more than half of the country’s 240 million people. Photo was taken by Idhad Zakaria,
‘Gentle’ eruption: Volcano exhibits increased unrest
Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has warned that a “hazardous eruption” of Mount Mayon, located in the eastern Philippines, is possible "within weeks".
Increased restiveness was recorded overnight on Thursday, including 270 incidents of lava fragments and super-hot boulders rolling down from Mayon’s crater - nearly four times the number recorded the previous day. Some reached the upper portion of a gully on the volcano’s southeastern side, indicating that the lava dome has breached that side of the crater. The number of low-frequency volcanic earthquakes also increased.
Molten lava has accumulated at the top of the 2,460-meter (8,070-foot) volcano’s crater, creating a glow in the night sky that sparked both awe and fear among spectators.
“It’s already erupting, but not explosive,” said Renato Solidum, who heads the government’s volcano monitoring agency. “Currently, the activity is just lava coming down. If there is an explosion, all sides of the volcano are threatened.”
Volcanologist Ed Laguerta said he saw huge glowing lava fragments and super-hot boulders rolling down from Mayon’s crater late Tuesday from as far as 12 kilometers (7 miles) away.
“They are big because they can be seen from afar, and they splinter, so they could be car-sized,” he added.
Mount Mayon, a popular tourist site known for its near-perfect cone, lies in coconut-producing Albay province, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Manila.
Scientists monitoring Hawaii lava face risks
In Honolulu, new photos from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory give a glimpse into the hazardous work scientists undertake to monitor lava that’s threatening to cross a major highway.
Photos taken this week include a shot of a geologist wearing protective clothing using a radar gun to measure the speed of lava flowing from Kilauea volcano. His measurements help Hawaii County Civil Defense officials prepare for the lava, which the observatory estimates could cross the Puna district’s Highway 130 in 18 days.
Observatory spokeswoman and geologist Janet Babb explains those in her field have a fascination with the wonders of volcanos, but their hearts are heavy when they see the lava approach critical infrastructure and impact people’s lives.
County spokesman Kevin Dayton says the community is grateful for the geologists.
