Mount Sinabung erupted Monday resulting in a plume of ash launching 3 miles into the sky.
It rained down on nearby villages. There was no report of deaths or injuries.
Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said that people within the vicinity should be alert for potential lava flow.
Residents were advised to stay at least 3.1 miles away from the volcano crater’s mouth.
These past few years, around 30,000 individuals have left their homes around the area for safety. It erupted in 2010 after lying dormant for 400 years.
An official at the Sinabung monitoring post on Sumatra Island told the Associated Press that abandoned villages along the slope have already accumulated up to 2 inches of grit and ash.
12.4 miles away from the crater mouth, motorists in Berastagi had to turn their headlights during the daytime to see through the ash.
Although air travel is not impaired of the event, the agency still has it on 2nd highest alert level.
Aside from Sinabung, another known volcano is Krakatau or Krakatoa. When in erupted in 1883, it destroyed the entire island where it lies. A new island volcano has been forming ever since called Anak Krakatau or the child of Krakatau.
There are 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Seismic movement is common in the area since it within the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
75% of the world’s volcanoes are located on it. It is approximately 40,000 km long and is sometimes called the “Circum-Pacific Belt.”
As much as 10% of the world’s volcanic activity takes place in Japan.
The network of volcanoes run along the boundaries of the following countries:
- New Zealand
- Papa New Guinea
- United States
Aside from tectonic plates, volcanoes, deep ocean trenches and high mountain ranges are parts of the Ring of Fire.