Скачать или смотреть Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts

On Monday, Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted, unleashing a towering column of ash and volcanic material that climbed as high as 18 kilometers into the sky. This comes just weeks after a June eruption prompted officials to raise the volcano’s alert status to its highest level.
Indonesia is home to over 120 active volcanoes—more than in any other country. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki sits on Flores Island, part of Indonesia’s notorious 'Ring of Fire'- a chain of over 450 volcanoes lining the Pacific Ocean. Here, the Indo-Australian Plate slides under the Eurasian Plate, melting rock into magma and fueling one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth.
The initial column of hot clouds that rose at 11:05 on Monday, erupted again at 19:30 on the same day followed by a third time at 05:53 on Tuesday at a reduced intensity. The eruptions on Monday blanketed nearby villages in ash, disrupted daily life, and forced dozens of flights to be canceled. Fortunately, zero casualties were reported. MtLewotobi Laki Laki had also erupted in November 2024, when a similar blast killed nine people and injured dozens.
Stratovolcanoes like Lewotobi are built from layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock. Over time, magma rises and gets trapped beneath the surface. Pressure builds silently until the crater can no longer contain it.
Monday’s eruptions were the result of the accumulation of energy due to a blockage of magma in the crater, which reduced detectable seismic activity while building up pressure, Hadi Wijaya, head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said. With nowhere to go, energy accumulated deep underground while seismic signals dropped. The silence was deceptive until everything blew wide open. Officials say this eruption was one of the largest in Indonesia since Mount Merapi exploded in 2010, killing over 350 people and displacing hundreds of thousands.
As a result of this week's eruptions, the exclusion zone around the crater has been doubled to 7kms. Authorities are warning residents to stay away, as more eruptions are likely. They also warned of potential lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs.

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Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.