4.4.3

Case Study: Agung

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Volcano Case Study - Mount Agung, Indonesia

Mount Agung, on the Pacific 'ring of fire' in Indonesia, erupted in 2017. The eruption caused a huge ash plume and lahars.

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Causes

  • On the Pacific ‘ring of fire’ where the Eurasian plate and the Indonesian-Australian plate meet.
  • At this convergent/destructive plate boundary, the Indonesian-Australian plate is subducting underneath the Eurasian plate.
  • Magma rises along the boundary, making Indonesia a very active area for volcanoes.
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Volcanic activity

  • Before main eruption:
    • Shallow tremors for months.
    • Sulphuric smoke rising to 200m.
    • Seismic shocks recorded by Indonesia’s national volcanology centre.
  • 27th of November 2017:
    • Ngurah Rai International Airport was closed as an ash plume rose 9100m into sky.
    • 59,000 people were stranded for 24 hours while ash was in the upper atmosphere.
    • Ash mixed with local river water causing lahars as the rainy season caused an increase in water.
    • Ashfall reported in many villages nearby.
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Responses

  • The area was put on a level 4 alert on the 25th of September.
  • Indonesian Red Cross moved 42,714 people outside a 12 km exclusion zone beforehand.
    • People stayed in town halls, schools and livestock shelters.
  • The UK, Singapore and Australia issued travel alerts warning of possible flight disruptions or evacuations.
  • Masks were distributed in Bali and Pulau Lombok to protect people from inhaling ash particles.

Jump to other topics

1Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5Paper 1 - Climate Change

6Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8Paper 2 - Development

9Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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