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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Indonesia volcanoes subside despite Java quakes |
| 2005-04-16 |
| Indonesian scientists are monitoring nine volcanoes after a string of moderate earthquakes caused rumbles on Java island. Two quakes recorded on Friday morning, of magnitude 5 and 6 respectively, rattled western parts of Java near Bandung city. Java is Indonesia's most populous island. Fauzi, an official at the Bureau of Meteorology and Geophysics in Jakarta, said a third quake of magnitude of 5.9 was recorded in the Sunda strait, near Mount Anak Krakatoa (Child of Krakatoa). The tremor was felt in Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra island. Mr Fauzi said the earthquakes did not cause any casualties, but local newspapers reported that at least 100 houses were damaged. Vulcanologists said big earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or higher could escalate volcanic activity. "The quake in the Sunda strait could escalate activities in Mt Anak Krakatoa, but this doesn't necessary cause an eruption," said Surono, a vulcanologist from the Directorate of Vulcanology and Geophysics in the Java city of Bandung, told Reuters. So far Mt Anak Krakatoa, off the western tip of Java, had not spouted smoke or volcanic material, and activity was seen to be tailing off. Anak Krakatoa emerged after the massive explosion that destroyed original island volcano of Krakatoa in August 1883. The eruption triggered a tsunami, killing more than 36,000 people in Java and Sumatra. "We will continue to monitor the activities of nine volcanoes, but most of them are showing signs of cooling off, including Mt Talang," said another vulcanologist, Dali Ahmad. Mt Talang on Sumatra island, which lies near the west coast city of Padang, 938 km north-west of Jakarta, had visibly calmed down after spewing out smoke and hot ashes on Tuesday, triggering the evacuation of more than 26,000 people. "The height of the smoke is down to 100 metres, but we don't want to lower the status yet, it's still dangerous," said Mr Ahmad. At the peak of its rumbling, Talang spewed smoke to heights up to 1,000 metres. Vulcanologists also kept the status of Mt Tangkuban Perahu on West Java, near Bandung, at the second-higest level. |
| Posted by:God Save The World |