volcanoes in indonesia

Indonesia has more than 500 volcanoes, with at least 129 active, such as Merapi and Semeru in Java, Agung in Bali and Rinjani in Lombok. Australia also has many volcanoes but all of them are extinct – volcanoes that are dead and will never erupt again. One of the most famous is Mount Gambier in south Australia. Mount Gambier last erupted 4900 years ago, making it the youngest volcano on the continent of Australia. It is a very popular tourist resort area and the beautiful lake in the crater is famous for its deep blue color.

In Indonesia, however, the story is quite different. There are many volcanoes and many of them are still active. Perhaps one of the best – known volcanoes is Merapi. Merapi is in Central Java. There have been 68 historic eruptions since 1548. The current eruptions began in 1987. because of Merapi’s violent past and because it is close to Yogyakarta, it has been the target of increased research efforts. In late November 1994, the collapse of a lava dome at Merapi caused lava flows that killed 43 people. Smoke rose 6 miles or 10 km above the volcano. Over 6000 people were evacuated. The eruption also started fires. Of course, eruption such as Krakatoa and Tambora in the last century are well known.

KRAKATAU MOUNTAIN

On 27 August 1883, the Indonesian Island of Rakata almost vanished. In fact, about 75% of the land area of Rakata no longer exists. It was the most violent volcanic eruption recorded in the world history that cased the destruction, and left more than 30,000 dead.

Krakatau ( Krakatoa ) volcano was located on the island of Rakata, 40 km of the west coast of java. Since early historic ages, violent volcanic activity has been known to exist in the region. The “great eruption” of Krakataumust have taken place around 416 AD, as reported in ancient Javanese scriptures. The eruption formed three islands (Rakata, Panjang, and Sertung), and caused a7 km long calderas (cavity) to form underneath Rakata. When Krakatau erupted again in 1883, the island virtually collapsed into its cavity, 300 m below sea level. So violent was the eruption that volcanic and debris reached as far west as Madagascar. Tidal waves resulted in the destruction of more than 150 villages, and were felt in France and England. In Australia, hundreds of kilometers away from the site, the explosion was heard.

Since the disappearance of Krakatau, smaller eruption have been observed. The ocean floor has been since gradually rising, eventually giving birth in 1927 to a new island, north of what remains of Rakata. Today, Anak Krakatau (Son of Krakatau) rises more than 150 m above sea level and is two kilometers in diameter