Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted again on Thursday, August 13, with a series of explosions that sent ash two kilometers high, triggering an air alert and fears of lava flows. To this already impressive spectacle was added the presence of another phenomenon, a volcanic storm.
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By inevitably rare, this natural event occurs when an eruption causes plume particularly charged in ash. An experiment carried out in the laboratory in 2013 and cited by the Obs, shows that “ lightning is controlled by the dynamics of the jets loaded with particles, and by the abundance of fine particles. The relative movement of clusters of charged particles generates the electrical potential which is necessary for lightning ”. It is therefore a friction of fine particles that releases lightning.
This is the eighth eruption in less than a week from Mount Sinabung, located on the island of Sumatra, but no casualties or major damage have been reported. The last deadly eruption of the volcano dates back to 2016. Authorities have issued an alert for planes circulating near the volcano. " The possibility of other eruptions exists and airlines are being asked to be on alert, " said Raditya Jati, a spokesperson for the agency responsible for natural disasters.
This is the eighth eruption in less than a week from Mount Sinabung. IVAN DAMANIK / AFP
The state of alert for the crater has been maintained at its second highest level. Authorities have demarcated a five-kilometer no-go zone around the volcano, which erupted since Monday, and warned of the risk of lava flows. " Residents are advised to wear masks if they leave their homes to protect themselves from the health effects of volcanic ash, " according to the spokesperson.
400 years of sleep
The volcano awoke in 2010 after 400 years of sleep. After a period of calm, a new eruption occurred in 2013 and since then he has been very active. Sixteen people died in 2014 and seven in 2016.
In 2018, more than 400 people were killed when a tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption suddenly swept across the southern coasts of Sumatra and the western end of Java.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands and islets formed by the convergence of three large tectonic plates (Indo-Pacific, Australian, Eurasian), is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity and volcanic eruptions with some 130 active volcanoes.