Volcanoes
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Bizarro Earth

Small eruption reported at Mount Hakone forces evacuations at nearby resort

Mount hakone
© Reuters/Kyodo
Steam rises from Owakudani vallay at Mount Hakone where a small volcanic eruption took place, in Hakone town, west of Tokyo, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo June 30, 2015.
A small volcanic eruption at a Japanese hot springs resort not far from Tokyo prompted authorities on Tuesday to further limit access to the area, warn that more eruptions were possible and urge a handful of people to evacuate.

Japan, one of the world's most seismically active nations, has suffered a recent spate of eruptions, including one that forced the evacuation of a southern island. In September, 63 people died when a peak crowded with hikers suddenly erupted.

Volcanic ash was spat from a valley on Mount Hakone, which has been belching out unusual amounts of steam in recent months, forcing officials to close part of the resort at the start of the spring tourist season.

There were no reports of injury or damage, and roughly 40 people were urged to evacuate.

Japan's Meteorological Agency raised the warning level on the mountain to 3 from 2, closing a broader area, and an agency official said activity in the area, some 80 km (50 miles) west of Tokyo, seemed to have risen "to a new level".

Umbrella

Indonesian authorities raise alert level as Mount Raung erupts

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© Press TVMount Raung in Indonesia’s East Java province.
Indonesian authorities on Monday (Jun 29) raised the alert level after Mount Raung in East Java erupted, causing ash to land in surrounding villages.

The eruption at Mount Raung on Sunday evening was heard 20 kilometres away, and ash fall was seen in villages about 10 kilometres away from the summit. Aircraft pilots also reported seeing large amounts of ash at a height of 3,500 metres.

Authorities cordoned off a two-kilometre radius around the volcano, and raised the alert level to "Siaga", the second highest level.

The Head of Prevention and Disaster Preparedness at the local Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency added the eruption could be seen from a lookout post in Banyuwangi, East Java.

Volcanologists have recorded an increase in volcanic activity and tremors on the 3,332-metre high Mount Raung since Jun 24.

Apart from Mount Raung, other volcanoes for which Indonesian authorities have raised the second highest alert level are Mount Karangetang, as well as Mount Soputan and Mount Lokon in Sulawesi.

Fire

Twelve most dangerous volcanoes that could erupt at any time

Volcanoes are one of nature's deadliest and destructive forces, able to maim and destroy within seconds and without warning.

Recently, Chile's Calbuco volcano erupted twice, prompting a large evacuation, and fears were ignited after experts revealed Indonesia's Mount Sinaburg may soon erupt.

Hundreds of volcanoes dot the globe, but only a handful are known for their particularly violent pasts. Some of these infamous peaks have caused mass casualties; others have destroyed whole cities.

Here are 12 of the world's most dangerous volcanoes, which could erupt at any time, and a brief history of their explosive power.

1. Cumbre Vieja Volcano - La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
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© Wikimedia Commons/Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space CenterSatellite photo of Caldera de Taburiente and Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Canary Islands.
A future eruption of Cumbre Vieja could be catastrophic. Geological evidence revealed failure of the volcano's west flank is possible, according to Volcano Live, and would result in a massive tsunami "which would cover the whole Atlantic Ocean." The mountain is the Canary Islands' most active volcano.

Comment: Are we ready for the next volcanic catastrophe?


Arrow Up

Japan's Shindake volcano erupts twice in 20 days

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Mt Shindake
Mount Shindake rumbled back to life Thursday as a second eruption rocked Kuchinoerabu Island off Kagoshima Prefecture shortly past noon, the Meteorological Agency said.

The scale of the volcano's first eruption in 20 days was smaller than its May 29 blast but apparently took from 12:17 p.m. to around 12:47 p.m. to complete, the weather agency said.

Initially, the agency had difficulty confirming the eruption because of bad weather, but a Japan Coast Guard vessel reportedly confirmed seeing small rocks falling while on patrol about 9 km east of the volcano.

The eruption follows the volcano's mighty blast in May, which forced the sparsely populated island's residents to flee to neighboring Yakushima Island. Although the agency had said volcanic activity on Kuchinoerabu had halted since last month's blast, earthquakes started rattling the area earlier this week, with 10 on Tuesday, 31 on Wednesday and seven by 9 a.m. Thursday, the agency said.

Kuchinoerabu's eruption alert remains at 5, the highest level, and residents in the area have been warned to remain alert for further eruptions.

Attention

Film of pyroclastic flow surge down the hillside during Sinabung volcano eruption

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© James ReynoldsThis was remarkable, ash cloud resembled super cell thunderstorm, detached from #volcano #Sinabung #Indonesia
Mount Sinabung in Indonesia has been exploding with ash and debris since early June, now in its fifth year of activity since the long-dormant volcano came back online after hundreds of years of silence.

Environment videographer James Reynolds has been on the Indonesian island of Sumatra since Thursday, sharing video of Sinabung's intense eruptions of ash and gas. In Reynolds' video above, Sinabung's pyroclastic flow surges down the mountainside on Friday, destroying everything in its path, including farms. The beginning of the video shows how pyroclastic flow can pour down the side of a volcano like an avalanche.

The USGS says that pyroclastic flow — made up of small pieces of rock, ash and hot gas — can vary in speed, it is universally deadly and destructive. "A pyroclastic flow will destroy nearly everything in its path," says the USGS. "With rock fragments ranging in size from ash to boulders traveling across the ground at speeds typically greater than [50 mph], pyroclastic flows knock down, shatter, bury or carry away nearly all objects and structures in their way.

"The extreme temperatures of rocks and gas inside pyroclastic flows, generally between [400 and 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit], can cause combustible material to burn, especially petroleum products, wood, vegetation, and houses."


Attention

Small eruption at Mount Asama near Tokyo

volcano eruption
© ReutersA light scattering of ash pointed to an eruption of the most active volcano on Japan's main island of Honshu

A volcano near Tokyo erupted early on Tuesday, the latest in a series of volcanic incidents to hit Japan in recent months.


Mount Asama, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, is believed to have spewed a small quantity of ash, but Tokyo was not affected, according to Kyodo News.

A warning against the dangers of falling rocks within a mile radius of the mountain, which is located 87 miles northwest of the capital, was subsequently issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Experts have been keeping a close eye on the 8,425 feet volcano in recent months, with tremors detected since April and a subsequent surge in sulphur dioxide emissions.

mount Asama
© ReutersPoor visibility due to thick clouds meant that it was not immediately possible to establish whether there was an a eruption

Attention

Sinabung volcano unleashes hot ash a mile into the air on Indonesian island

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Eruption: A farmer continues to tend to his field on the Indonesian island of Sumatra as Mount Sinabung erupts violently in the background

A volcanic eruption in western Indonesia has unleashed hot ash over a mile into the air and threatens the lives of thousands in nearby villages.

Mount Sinabung, which is located on the island of Sumatra, had been dormant for over 400 years before erupting in August 2010 when it killed at least two and made over 30,000 homeless.

Its status was raised to the highest alert level on June 2 because of the growing size of its 'lava dome', a magma-filled mound which grows inside the volcano before erupting violently.

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Explosion: Stunning images have captured the 2,460m-high volcano unleashing hot ash and gas over a mile into the air


Attention

Toba supervolcano showing large emissions of steam and foul smelling gas

mount sinabung
Photo from Indonesia press showing new activity (June 2015) at Mount Sinabung, prompting evacuations around the area.
Western Indonesia's Mount Sinabung has been placed on high alert for what is being called a "mega-eruption" for several km/miles around the volcano.

Video reports coming out from the region show ash, steam, and eruptive blasts currently occurring.

In addition to the large eruption at Mount Sinabung, we now have other reports that the nearby Toba supervolcano is showing large emissions of steam (from the ground), as well as foul smelling gas.

According to reports from Indonesian press, locals are alarmed by these recent developments.

Toba supervolcano is indeed a "super-volcano" by all measurements. Actually LARGER in eruptive power to the other more well known "Yellowstone" super volcano (located in Wyoming / United States).

Comment: Mount Sinabung blows its top, sending lava and thick plumes of volcanic ash into the sky


Arrow Up

Zhupanovsky volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Territory spews column of ash 6 km above sea level

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© AP/Brynjar Gauti
Zhupanovsky Volcano in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Territory has spewed ash to a height of six kilometres above sea level, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) of the Institute of Volcanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences told TASS on Tuesday.

"The ash column reached six kilometres above sea level. The plume of ash has been taken by the wind to a distance of 30 kilometres in the southerly direction," a KVERT spokesman said.

The volcano poses no threat to populated localities. Nonetheless, it has been assigned an orange aviation colour code. It is not ruled out that the volcano may spew more ash up to eight kilometres high.

Zhupanovsky Volcano, which takes its name from a river of the same name flowing in its vicinity, is located in eastern Kamchatka, some 70 kilometers north of the Kamchatka capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Zhupanovsky is one of the least studied volcanoes in the region despite its proximity to a large city. It is a complex volcano composed of four overlapping cones aligned on a roughly east-west oriented axis, with the highest cone reaching 2,958 meters high, and the lowest one being 2,505 meters high. The giant mount has been active since October 2013.

Comment: The most powerful existing volcano emits ash, clouds of steam 7,500meters high in Kamchatka, Russia


Shoe

Mount Sinabung blows its top, sending lava and thick plumes of volcanic ash into the sky

Mount Sinabung blew its top Saturday sending lava and thick plumes of volcanic ash into the sky
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Indonesian officials raised the alert status Friday to the highest level, urging residents who live nearby to evacuate. About 2,700 people were forced to flee their homes from the island located in the North Sumatra province. Government agencies have set up public shelters and kitchens to help those who have been evacuated. The 2,600-metre-high volcano had been inactive for three years before showing signs of life in September, 2013.

Photos of the eruption have been posed on Instagram from photography student Ahmad Zikri Mohamad Zuki. Pyroclastic flows (avalanche-like hot ash, rocks and gas) have been rushing down the sides of the mountain for the past week, Zuki told CNN. The photography student lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the Malaysian island of Borneo, shaking the Mount Kinabalu region around 7:15 a.m. local time Friday. At least 12 people have died. Of the eleven people confirmed to have died, nine have yet to be identified by authorities. Zuki has been documenting Mount Sinabung's activity since 2014, according to CNN. Following sharp increase volcanic activity, officials urged residents living within a radius of 7 km south and southeast of the mountain to evacuate Wednesday.
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Mount Sinabung erupted in February 2014, killing 16 people. In August 2010, the volcano claimed the lives of two people and forced 30,000 to leave their homes. There are over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.