NEW DELHI: Flash floods, landslides, and a destructive stream of cold lava from Mount Marapi, an active volcano in Sumatra, Indonesia, resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people and left 19 missing over the past weekend. Cold lava, also known as “lahar” in Javanese, comprises a mixture of water and rock fragments that flows rapidly down the slopes of a volcano, entering river valleys and spreading across wide areas.
The disaster response agency in Indonesia shared distressing images and videos that showed roads and fields near Mount Marapi covered in thick mud and ash. This cold lava can flow at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour and reach distances as far as 60 km from the volcano, posing a significant threat to anything in its path, a report in the Independent said.
According to the United States Geological Survey, lahars are considered more destructive and deadlier than regular lava flows. They have the potential to crush or bury almost anything, and by destroying infrastructure such as bridges and roads, they can trap people in areas that are vulnerable to further volcanic activities.
Brittany Brand, director of the Boise State Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute at Boise State University, explained that even a small eruption of ash or lava could melt enough snowcap to produce devastating lahars. “A small eruption of ash or lava can melt enough of that snowcap to produce devastating lahars,” she said in an interview with Newsweek.
The region frequently experiences landslides and flash floods, exacerbated by its geographical location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, home to 127 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world. Mount Marapi alone has erupted 11 times in the 21st century, with a significant eruption in December spewing ash up to 3,000 meters into the air and covering towns and villages in ash.
The situation remains precarious as Indonesian authorities continue to warn residents and climbers to avoid areas within a 4.5 km radius of Mount Marapi’s crater. This recent activity underscores the ongoing volcanic threat faced by millions living in mountainous or flood-prone areas across Indonesia’s vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands.
The disaster response agency in Indonesia shared distressing images and videos that showed roads and fields near Mount Marapi covered in thick mud and ash. This cold lava can flow at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour and reach distances as far as 60 km from the volcano, posing a significant threat to anything in its path, a report in the Independent said.
According to the United States Geological Survey, lahars are considered more destructive and deadlier than regular lava flows. They have the potential to crush or bury almost anything, and by destroying infrastructure such as bridges and roads, they can trap people in areas that are vulnerable to further volcanic activities.
Brittany Brand, director of the Boise State Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute at Boise State University, explained that even a small eruption of ash or lava could melt enough snowcap to produce devastating lahars. “A small eruption of ash or lava can melt enough of that snowcap to produce devastating lahars,” she said in an interview with Newsweek.
The region frequently experiences landslides and flash floods, exacerbated by its geographical location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, home to 127 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world. Mount Marapi alone has erupted 11 times in the 21st century, with a significant eruption in December spewing ash up to 3,000 meters into the air and covering towns and villages in ash.
The situation remains precarious as Indonesian authorities continue to warn residents and climbers to avoid areas within a 4.5 km radius of Mount Marapi’s crater. This recent activity underscores the ongoing volcanic threat faced by millions living in mountainous or flood-prone areas across Indonesia’s vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands.