General Studies- I (Important Geophysical phenomena)
Gist Of Editorials
10 May 2021
Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung, located in the North Sumatra province, erupted recently, belching a massive column of volcanic ash and smoke 3,000 metres into the sky.
- The volcano had erupted in March as well, sending a cloud of hot ash into the sky.
- The volcano has been active since 2010 when it erupted after nearly 400 years of inactivity.
Ring of Fire:
- Indonesia is home to many active volcanoes owing to its location in the “Ring of Fire” or the Circum-Pacific Belt.
- Ring of Fire is an area along the Pacific Ocean characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
- The Ring of Fire is home to about 75 per cent of the world’s volcanoes and about 90 per cent of earthquakes also occur here.
Weekly volcanic activity report:
According to the National Museum of Natural History, USA, there are about 20 volcanoes actively erupting everyday around the world.
- Weekly volcanic activity report prepared by The Smithsonian and US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards program.
- As per the report, for the week ending August 4, 2020, there were 17 volcanoes across the world with continuing eruptions.
Mount Sinabung’s recent eruptions:
According to the Global Volcanism Program, The volcano has been active since 2010.
- The eruptive phase began in September 2013 and continued uninterrupted till June 2018.
- In 2018, the volcano released ash 5-7 km into the air, coating villages.
- According to the Weather Channel, when the volcano had erupted in 2014, it killed 16 people and displaced thousands and in 2016, nine more people had died because of the eruptions.
Why does a volcano erupt?
Basically, there are three types of volcanoes — active, dormant or extinct.
An eruption takes place when magma (a thick flowing substance), that is formed when the earth’s mantle melts, rises to the surface.
- As magma is lighter than rock, it is able to rise through vents and fissures on the surface of the earth.
- Following eruption, the magma is called lava.
- Not all volcanic eruptions are explosive since explosivity depends on the composition of the magma.
- When the magma is runny and thin, gases can easily escape it. In such cases, the magma will flow out towards the surface.
- However, if the magma is thick and dense and gases cannot escape it, it builds up pressure inside resulting in a violent explosion.
Who are at risk from these eruptions?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common cause of death from a volcano is suffocation, making people with respiratory conditions such as asthma and other chronic lung diseases susceptible.
- Further, volcanic eruptions can result in additional threats to health such as floods, mudslides, power outages, drinking water contamination and wildfires.
- Lava flows, however, rarely kill people since it moves very slowly, giving enough time to escape.
Source: Indian Express
