© Aris Yanto
Indonesia Mount Raung sent an explosive eruption of ash into the air Friday, putting people who live near the volcano on high alert.
The ash spewing from the volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java sparked chaos for vacationers as airports closed and international airlines canceled flights to tourist hotspot Bali, stranding thousands.
Mount Raung in East Java province, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Bali's international airport, has been rumbling for several weeks. The level of activity increased in the past week and on Friday it blasted ash and debris 3,800 meters (12,460 feet) into the air.
Government volcanologist Gede Suantika said the eruption forced authorities to close five airports due to the risks posed by volcanic ash, though two airports on Lombok island reopened Friday afternoon. The Transport Ministry told airlines to avoid routes near the mountain. It said a decision about reopening other airports would be made later Friday.
Suantika said lava and ash fall from the 3,332-meter (10,930-feet) -high mountain on Indonesia's most densely populated island also caused the government to urge people to stay away from a three-kilometer (two-mile) -high danger zone around the volcano.
Evacuation of residents living near the volcano is still considered unnecessary, but authorities are urging people to wear masks.
Comment: Other underwater volcanoes have been discovered in recent years from off the coast of New Zealand to Antarctica. In April this year, scientists were stunned by the apparent eruption of a submarine volcano, 'Axial Seamount' off the Northwest US coast (at a similar time to the devastating Nepalese earthquake and the massive eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile), which could explain the "unprecedented warming occurring over the last 13 years" of water in this area.
As the number of volcanoes erupting right now is greater than the 20th century's YEARLY average, a comparable escalation in activity of their underwater counterparts seems logical.
It is estimated there are up to one million submarine volcanoes on our planet. Effects from this volcanic activity, combined with increased methane outgassing, radiation from the Fukushima disaster are probably also causing the ongoing devastation of marine life, mass fish die offs and strange migratory behaviour we are currently witnessing.