Hundreds of tremors shake Indonesian volcano
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hundreds of tremors shake Indonesian volcano*
JAKARTA, Nov 1 (AFP) Nov 01, 2007
Hundreds of minor tremors shook a deadly volcano on Indonesia's Java
island Thursday, a scientist said, reinforcing fears of an eruption
after 130,000 people were evacuated last month.
The tremors, breaking days of calm, showed pressure inside Mount Kelut
was rising, increasing the chance of an eruption, said Khoirul Huda of
the volcano's monitoring post.
"We recorded about 548 shallow tremors within the volcano during six
hours this morning till noon (0500 GMT), meaning that magmatic pressure
within the volcano is increasing," he said.
Mount Kelut, an East Java volcano with a history of deadly eruptions,
was put on red alert on October 16, triggering efforts to evacuate about
tens of thousands of people living within 10 kilometres (six miles) of
its crater.
The alert remains in force, meaning scientists fear the volcano could
blow at any time. But Huda said there was still a chance it could calm
again.
The activity "will probably be followed by an eruption, or it might stay
quiet again, as happened after October 16," he said.
Scientists put the 1,731-metre (5,712-foot) volcano on the highest level
of alert after they recorded more than 500 shallow tremors within the
peak, but then activity dwindled to about five to 10 tremors per day.
They have said they expect an eruption of Kelut would be comprised of
"heat clouds" consisting of searing gases and volcanic debris rushing
down the slopes, similar to the most recent eruption in 1990 that left
34 dead.
Huda said the energy released from the volcano was becoming much
stronger and pushing the magma up towards the crater.
"This magma movement has caused the volcanic tremors," he explained.
He added that temperatures in the 15-metre-deep lake in Kelut's crater
had risen to 39.7 degrees Celsius. The temperature reached 40 degrees
before the last eruption.
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 alone.