TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Mt. Batur alert raised to `caution'

The Volcanology and Mitigation Department of Geology Agency has raised the status of Mount Batur in Bangli regency from "normal" to "caution" due to increased volcanic activity

Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post)
Kintamani, Bangli
Wed, November 11, 2009

Share This Article

Change Size


Mt. Batur alert raised to `caution'

T

he Volcanology and Mitigation Department of Geology Agency has raised the status of Mount Batur in Bangli regency from "normal" to "caution" due to increased volcanic activity.

The 1,717-meter volcano has shown an increase in tremor frequency from less than five per day to 60 per day, an official at the Anak Agung Anom Karsono monitoring station said Tuesday.

"Although there has not been any visible signs, we have noticed a significant increase of volcanic activity since September. During the month, there were as many as 21 deep and 11 shallow volcanic tremors."

During October, seismographs recorded as many as 28 deep and 20 shallow volcanic tremors.

Since Nov. 1 there have been 53 deep and 83 shallow volcanic tremors. "We decided to raise the status from *normal' to *caution' due to the significant changes," Karsono said, adding that continuous monitoring had been conducted since then. "We have cautioned tourists and locals to not hike up the mountain and have sealed off the hiking track until the status returns to normal," Karsono said.

Mt. Batur is one of many tourist attractions in Bali, and offers stunning views. The volcano is surrounded by the Lake Batur area, home to the indigenous Trunyan people.

Karsono called on residents in the vicinity to remain alert, although they could still conduct their normal daily activities. He also asked them not to panic and to not believe any information from unofficial sources.

He called on people living close to the volcano to follow instructions given by the Disaster Mitigation Force (Satkorlak) should the alert status rise. Should there be signs that increased volcanic activity would lead to an eruption, the status would be raised to *alert'.

Karsono said an evacuation would take place if the status was raised to *dangerous', the highest level, where a highly hazardous eruption is imminent. "We hope the activities will not increase and cause an eruption."

Mount Batur's first recorded eruption was in 1804. The mountain was active from 1997 to 2000 with the last eruption on July 7, 2000, shooting ash 300 meters above the crater.

Major eruptions in pre-historic periods formed the secondary volcano and caldera, which partly filled with water and formed Lake Batur.

Since 1800, the volcano has erupted at least 28 times at intervals of between one and 39 years.

Indonesia has an estimated 500 volcanoes of which 129 are active. This represents 13 percent of all active volcanoes worldwide.

Some volcanoes are notable for their major eruptions, such as Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. There are dozens of active volcanoes including Mt. Merapi and Kelud in Java, Mt. Agung in Bali, and Tambora in West Nusa Tenggara.

According to a study by the Directorate of Volcanology and Geology, Indonesia's geography is dominated by volcanoes formed due to subsided zones between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.