indonesia

Mt. Barujari erupting in 1994. Image courtesy of Vulkaner.no. Sometimes it is hard to appreciate how many volcanoes lie within Indonesia. However, within the last few weeks, no less than four Indonesian volcanoes have been put on alert to eruption or shown increased signs of activity - Slamet, Kirinci, Anak Krakatau and now Mt. Rinjani (above). UPDATE 5/3/2009 11AM (Pacific): The volcano is erupting according to the Jakarta Globe. Seems like the activity so far is confined to small explosions emitting ash and gases. More info as I find it. Rinjani is a popular tourist destination on the…
Mt. Slamet, Indonesia, with agricultural fields in the foreground. I'll be brief, mostly because I'm still lost in a haze of jetlag and allergies, but ... Mt. Slamet on the island of Java in Indonesia is showing signs of a "major eruption". Preparations have begun by the Indonesian government to evacuate people in the event that the volcano erupts, however, it is unclear when that might be. Agus Budianto, head of the volcanology unit at the Bandung, West Java-based Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Agency, said this about the current activity at the volcano: "Even though the earthquake…
Well, after lamenting the slow volcano news, things are beginning to pick up again. Beyond the news of a potential increase in activity at Anak Krakatau, there are a few other newsworthy bits that have come up: Mt. Kerinci in Indonesia Mt. Kerinci in Indonesia is showing signs of eruption. The volcano is the highest mountain on the island of Sumatra, reaching 3,800 m / 12,400 feet and last erupted in March 2008. Its volcanic activity is marked by small (VEI of ash and tephra. Currently, the volcano is experiencing increased tremors and minor explosions that rained ash on a tea plantation on…
Anak Krakatau erupting in 2007. There is a report out tonight that activity might be increasing at Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, however, it is unclear whether it is actually increasing or not. People are evacuating the coastal area of the Sunda Strait to Bandarlampung in fear that a major eruption of the volcano is on the horizon. However, the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Indonesia has not changed the alert status at Anak Krakatau and it remains at 2 of 4 (~Orange Status). The volcano has been erupting almost constantly for the last few years, producing…
Tambora, Indonesia There are big eruptions, then there are big eruptions. On April 10, 1815, Tambora, a volcano in Indonesia, produced one of the largest eruptions in human history. This eruption produced what became known as the "year without a summer" after the volcanic aerosols from the eruption produced some of the coldest summers in many parts of the world. The Tambora eruption in 1815 was a VEI 7, on a scale that goes to, well, 7*, putting it in a class of some of the largest and most violent eruptions imaginable - and I, for one, can hardly imagine what might happen if an eruption of…
For those of you looking for real volcanic eruption news (no, there was no "Yellowstone eruption"), here is this week's SI/USGS Volcano Activity Report. And speaking of April Fools Jokes, this is by far my favorite (mostly by its combination of volcanoes and baseball. How could you go wrong with two of my favorite things - hat tip to Fletcher for finding the article). Highlights (beyond Redoubt) include: Earthquakes, tremors and steam at El Reventador in Ecuador 12,000-15,000 foot (4-5 km) steam/ash plumes were spotted at Colima, the Mexican volcano. A shockwave was felt 10 km away from Fuego…
I keep thinking I should write more worthy articles, but then, I keep finding fantastic things that don't need 800 words of discussion getting in the way. This is one of the latter, and comes courtesy of George Kourounis, ballsy explorer and general badass. Kourounis took a trip to Indonesia's Kawah Ijen volcano, where miners earn $10 a day for journeying into the depths of a volcano to retrieve sulphur. Here is the site of the world's largest lake of sulphuric acid: Here is an aluminium can dissolving in the extreme acid (pH ~0.5!): And here is Kourounis, going for a leisurely paddle…
Oldonyo L'engai, Tanzania As with most disasters, the best way to prevent a Katrina-like catastrophe is preparedness. The best successes in volcanic mitigation have been in places where the combination of monitoring, communications and practice fit together like so many legos in a set, allowing for a calm and orderly evacuation when the eruption, or signs of eruption, began (e.g., Rabaul in 1994). This is why it is always heartening to me to see articles about places trying to implement hazard mitigation plans for their volcanoes. Two examples are in the news today: (1) Officials in…
Last April we brought you images of a newly discovered frogfish with some unusual characteristics. Here are two videos of the Histiophryne psychedelica in action. After almost a year it has been confirmed, by the way, that this fish is indeed a new species to science. When the fish opens its mouth for the second time, hit play on the Darkside of the Moon. It bounces off of coral like a superball!
tags: Satomi's pygmy seahorse, Indonesian wildlife, Stephen Wong, Takako Uno, image of the day Satomi's pygmy seahorse, endemic to Indonesia, is one of the world's tiniest seahorses. Two adults would fit head-to-head across the face of a penny and their offspring are each about the size of a 12-point apostrophe. Image: Stephen Wong and Takako Uno/National Geographic. At under half an inch tall (13 millimeters), Satomi's pygmy seahorse -- named after dive guide Satomi Onishi -- is a strong contender for the world's smallest seahorse. With their tails stretched out straight, two Satomi's…
tags: Indonesian Mimetic Octopus, invertebrates, behavior, streaming video This fascinating creature was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the mimic octopus is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species. This octopus is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp. This animal is so intelligent that it is able to discern which dangerous sea creature to…
High in the mountaintop forests of Indonesia, this little Furby-gremlin hybrid hid undiscovered (and unmolested) for the last ninety years. Last seen alive in the 1920s, the pygmy tarsier was thought extinct until researchers from Texas A&M University rediscovered the little guy last month. Pygmy tarsier is not amused. Over a 2.5 month period, the scientists trapped two males and one female in Lore-Lindu National Park. After taking measurements and affixing radio collars, the researchers were unable to resist the urge to love them, and hug them, and squeeze them and call them George.…
tags: parrots, endangered species, conservation, birds, ornithology, Indonesia Masakambing (Abbott's) yellow-crested cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea abbotti at Sukun tree. Image: Indonesian Parrot Project, summer 2008 [larger view]. I had the most fascinating telephone discussion with Bonnie Zimmermann, Vice President of the Indonesian Parrot Project, about the recent reported rediscovery of several individuals of the rarest cockatoo in the world. This species, known as the Masakambing (Abbott's) yellow-crested cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea abbotti, is a subspecies of Yellow (Sulfur)-crested…
  UPDATE 10.9.08: This photo is not from the current eruption (see the comments below), so disregard any comments I might have about the current state of activity. Contrary to some of the earlier reports, the eruption at Soputan in Indonesia might be more impressive than previously though. Pictures of the eruption (above) show a fairly healthy eruption column coming from the volcano, although it is hard to tell if the image is just an eruption column or a column with an associated column-collapse pyroclastic flow heading down the far side of the volcano (in the picture). The former would…
There are a few brief reports of a minor eruption at Soputan in Indonesia. The reports from the Associated Press mention a small eruption column that reached ~1,000 meters and was accompanied by ash fall and explosions. From the sound of it, the eruption(s) are minor Strombolian types, common at arc stratovolcanoes like Soputan. Indonesia officials have warned people to watch for potential lava extrusion that might follow these explosive, possible "throat-clearing" blasts. Soputan was reported to have erupted earlier this year and has erupted frequently over the last decade.
[wp_caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Anak Krakatau"][/wp_caption] Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (whew, that is a mouthful) has placed Anak Krakatau on high alert for increased activity. Tourists were warned not to climb on the volcanic island in the Sunda Straits that rises from the remnants of the famous 1883 eruption of Krakatau. Anak Krakatau formed within the caldera of the ancestral volcano and have been fairly active since the 1920's, producing incandescent bombs and small ash…
One of the most famous eruptions in human history (at least recent history) is the 1883 eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia, made (more) famous by Simon Winchester's book (and the inappropriately named film Krakatoa: East of Java ... hint: look at a map). Since the cataclysm eruption, a new volcano has risen where the old one once stood. Anak Krakatau (I believe loosely translates to "son of Krakatau") is a fairly active volcano, producing Strombolian explosive eruptions - fairly mild - that threw volcanic bombs and debris onto the island and into the surrounding ocean (thus, building up the…
A few reports this morning that Mt. Soputan, on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, is currently erupting. The reports indicate that there has been a lot of seismic activity and some ash emitted from the volcano. As with many volcanoes in the densely populated nation of Indonesia, there are people living on the slopes of Mt. Soputan and the authorities are preparing to evacuate them, if necessary. The last eruption at Soputan was way back in ... 2007 (see photo above), so it seems like the volcano is another one of many active Indonesian volcanoes.
A completely new family of fishes may have been discovered in the coral beds of Indonesia. Dive company owners, Buck and Fitrie Randolph of Maluku Divers spotted the fish in January but waited to photograph additional specimens before contacting the experts. Interviewed by Seattle PI, University of Washington ichthyologist Ted Pietsch, who specializes in anglerfish, said it was unlike anything he had ever seen, sputtering "I'm still thrilled. It's an incredible thing. It's remarkable." The pink-and-tan striped frogfish cannot be identified by any fish experts so far. While Pietsch is…
tags: researchblogging.org, birds, aves, ornithology, Zosterops somadikartai, Togian white-eye, Indonesia, Sulawesi An undated artist's rendering of Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye. This small greenish bird that has been playing hide-and-seek with ornithologists on a remote Indonesian island since 1996, but was declared a newly discovered species on March 14, 2008 and promptly recommended for endangered lists. Image: Agus Prijono. Sharp-eyed scientists have discovered a new species of bird on a remote Indonesian archipelago in the Southern Pacific Ocean. A formal description…