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2017–2019 eruptions of Mount Agung

Coordinates: 8°20′35″S 115°30′25″E / 8.34306°S 115.50694°E / -8.34306; 115.50694
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2017–2019 eruptions of Mount Agung
Mount Agung on 27 November
Date24 September 2017 (2017-09-24) – present
(6 years, 9 months and 6 days)
LocationMount Agung, Bali, Indonesia
Coordinates8°20′35″S 115°30′25″E / 8.34306°S 115.50694°E / -8.34306; 115.50694
TypeVolcanic eruption

In 2017 Mount Agung, a volcano on the island of Bali in Indonesia, erupted violently enough to cause evacuation and airflight disruption. As of 27 November 2017 the alert level is at its highest and evacuation orders are in place.

Timeline of eruptive events

Volcanic earthquakes were observed beginning in August[1] and the intensity of activity increased in the following weeks. A decline in activity occurred in late October, before a second period of greater activity began in late November.

First major activity period

September

In September 2017, an increase of rumbling and seismic activity around the volcano raised the alert to the highest level and about 122,500 people were evacuated from their homes around the volcano.[2] The Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority declared a 12-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano on 24 September.[3] A plume was observed on 13 September.[1]

Evacuees gathered in sports halls and other community buildings around Klungkung, Karangasem, Buleleng, and other areas.[4] The monitoring station is located in Tembuku, Rendang, Karangasem Regency, where intensity and frequency of tremors are being monitored for signs of imminent eruption.[5]

The area experienced 844 volcanic earthquakes on 25 September, and 300 to 400 earthquakes by midday on 26 September. Seismologists have been alarmed at the force and frequency of the incidents as it has taken much less for similar volcanos to erupt.[6][7]

October

In late October 2017, the activity of the volcano decreased significantly, leading to lowering of the alert status on 29 October.[8]

The alert level remained at 3 (out of 4) until the start of the second major activity period, and plumes were observed during this time.[9][10]

Second major activity period

Tuesday, 21 November

There was a small phreatic eruption reported at 09:05 (UTC), with the ash cloud top reaching 3,842 metres (12,605 ft) above sea level. [11] Thousands of people immediately fled the area,[12] and over 29,000 temporary refugees were reported to be housed in over 270 locations nearby.[13]

Saturday, 25 November

A magmatic eruption began early on Saturday morning.[14] The resulting eruption plume was reported to rise about 1.5–4 km above the summit crater, drifting towards the south and dusting the surroundings with a thin layer of dark ash, leading some airlines to cancel flights bound for Australia and New Zealand. An orange glow was later observed around the crater at night, confirming that fresh magma had indeed reached the surface.[15][16]

Sunday, 26 November

At 23:37 (UTC), another eruption occurred.[14] Ngurah Rai International Airport was closed the same day,[17] leaving many tourists stranded.[18] The closure of the airport was subsequently extended to 07:00 on 29 November.[19] More than 100,000 people in a 6-mile (9.7 km) radius of the volcano were ordered to evacuate.[20]

Monday, 27 November

Ash plume from Mount Agung on 27 November

Sunday's eruption continued at a constant rate,[21] and lahars were reported in the Selat district south of the volcano.[18] The Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology reported that the top of the eruption column had reached an altitude of 9,144 m.[22] Ash continued to spread in a southeasterly direction, and estimates by the Pacific Disaster Center predicted that the resulting atmospheric ash exposure will affect up to 5.6 million people within the densely populated region surrounding the volcano.[21]

Impact

The eruption caused some 40,000 people to be evacuated from 22 villages around Mount Agung. It also caused surrounding airports to be closed. Lombok International Airport, located on the neighboring island of Lombok, closed on 26 November and was reopened the next morning. Ngurah Rai International Airport, located at the southern tip of the island and southwest of the volcano, closed on 27 November. More than 400 flights were canceled, and about 50,000 passengers were grounded.

Previous eruptions

The last time Mount Agung erupted was in 1963. In that eruption the local inhabitants had only a few minutes warning and suffered around 1,500 deaths.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b Global Volcanism Program. Sennert, Sally Kuhn (ed.). "Report on Agung (Indonesia)". Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 September-19 September 2017. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Indonesian official: More than 120,000 flee Bali volcano". Fox News. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Thousands evacuated as Bali volcano sparks fear". The Australian. 24 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Mount Agung: facts about Bali's imminent volcano eruption". UbudHood. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. ^ "How do experts know Mount Agung is about to erupt?". ABC News Australia. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  6. ^ Once tremors detected, Bali volcano can erupt within hours: Volcanologist CNA, 3 October 2017
  7. ^ Lamb, Kate (26 September 2017). "Bali volcano eruption could be hours away after unprecedented seismic activity". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  8. ^ Topsfield, Jewel; Rosa, Amilia (30 October 2017). "Mount Agung volcano alert in Bali downgraded". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  9. ^ Global Volcanism Program. Sennert, Sally Kuhn (ed.). "Report on Agung (Indonesia)". Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 1 November-7 November 2017. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  10. ^ Global Volcanism Program. Sennert, Sally Kuhn (ed.). "Report on Agung (Indonesia)". Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 8 November-14 November 2017. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  11. ^ "VONA".
  12. ^ "Bali's Mount Agung volcano erupts". BBC News. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  13. ^ Regular bulletins are posted on the website of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency.
  14. ^ a b "Gunung Agung volcano (Bali, Indonesia): eruption has begun". Volcano Discovery. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  15. ^ "'Get out now' 100,000 people told as Bali volcano continues to spew ash". Metro. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  16. ^ "A volcanologist explains Bali eruption photos". BBC News. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  17. ^ Saifulbahri Ismail (27 November 2017). "Mount Agung eruption: Bali airport closed, flights cancelled". CNA. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  18. ^ a b "Locals Watch As Lahars From Mount Agung Sweep Away Rice Fields". VIVA Indonesia (in Indonesian). 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  19. ^ "Bali volcano: Mt Agung ash shuts airport for second day". BBC News Online. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Mount Agung: Bali volcano alert raised to highest level". BBC News Online. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Life-saving technology provides alert as Bali's Mount Agung spews ash, raises alarm". www.pdc.org. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Volcanic ash update for Mount Agung". Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  23. ^ "Mount Agung: Bali volcano alert raised to highest level". BBC News. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
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