MOUNT MERAPI, INDONESIA case study

Question 1

What type of country is Indonesia?

Answer 1

EDC

Question 2

Where can compare impacts to?

Answer 2

AC- ICELAND

Question 3

Basic details
(Date, mag., country, history, geography)

Answer 3

• Nov 2010
• VEI 4
• EDC
• Suffered more fatal eruptions (114) and events causing damage (195) than any other country
• 3/4 population live within 100km of a volcano erupted within 10,000 years (active)
• Indonesia is an ISLAND ARC (series of volcanic islands)

Question 4

Volcano

Answer 4

• Highly active (94, 97, 01, 06, 10)
  ALL VEI 3-4 (EXPLOSIVE)
  Dome developed in crater each time, eventually collapses producing PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
• SUBDUCTION ZONE- Indo- Australian plate sliding beneath Eurasion plate (within the RING OF FIRE)
• COMPOSITE STRATO CONE VOLCANO

Question 5

impacts of and hazards caused by eruption

Answer 5

• 353 deaths, 500 injured
• 350,000 people successfully evacuated- evac. schemes for people within 20km of volcano
• EXPLOSIVE eruption: thick andesitic lava
• PYROCLASTIC FLOWS (destroyed forested areas on mountain)
• large ash clouds (fell on surrounding areas up to 40km away); LOCAL AIRPORTS E.G. YOGYKARTA closed for a fortnight
• SULPHUR EMISSIONS caused ACID RAIN over large proportion of region
• LAHAR (ashy mudflow) as occurred DURING RAINY SEASON

Question 6

Monitoring

Answer 6

Predicted eruption was likely
But warnings IGNORED by many people as low EDUCATION and CONSIDERED SACRED BY LOCALS