Mass Evacuations as Sinabung Erupts Again

Mount Sinabung Continues to Eject Volcanic Materials into the Air

Some 22,000 people living near Sinabung volcano have been evacuated Since Monday after the volcano erupted in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The volcano is spewing columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater, authorities said.

About 22,000 people have been evacuated near Mt Sinabung as the volcano continues to erupt. Mount Sinabung has been ejecting columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater since Saturday. More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have also been recorded. Photo credit: Agung Kuncahya B./Xinhua.  More images…

“The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has instructed all relevant ministries, government institutions, local disaster mitigation agencies and the Karo regency administration in North Sumatra to prepare for a worst-case scenario following an increase in Mount Sinabung’s volcanic activity during the past week,” said a report.

The “worst-case scenario” comes into if the exclusion zone is extended from its latest 7km radius, southeast slope of the volcano, to between 7.5 and 10 km from the crater.

More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have been recorded with the flow volume increasing every day, said The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The volume of volcanic material ejected so far is about a quarter of the total 2,540,000 cubic meters formed in Mt. Sinabung’s crater. “This means that the pyroclastic potential stored in the volcano’s lava dome is still substantial; so if it should all come out, the threat would be devastating,” Jakarta post quoted an official as saying.

Approximate location of Sinabung is marked  on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130  active volcanoes

Sinabung Volcano: Summary of Details

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Holocene
Last Known Eruption: Unknown [1600?]
Summit Elevation: 2,460m
Latitude: 3.17°N Longitude: 98.392°E
Source: GVP

Sinabung is located in Group K Volcanoes

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Chronology of Recent Eruptions

• Mass Evacuation Ordered as Mt SINABUNG Put on Red Alert November 24, 2013
• A Second Indonesian Volcano Erupts Posted on November 19, 2013
• 22 Indonesian Volcanoes Remain on High Alerts Posted on November 16, 2013
• Sinabung Volcano Explodes Posted on November 3, 2013
• Thousands Flee Mount Sinabung Eruption September 16, 2013

• Sinabung Erupts Again August 30, 2010
• Mount Sinabung Erupts  August 29, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010
• Mount Merapi Eruption Satellite Image November 16, 2010
• Merapi’s latest eruption the deadliest so far  November 5, 2010
• Mt Merapi Erupts Again, 70,000 Evacuated November 1, 2010
• Mount Sinabung Erupts  August 29, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again  August 30, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010
• Sinabung Getting More Serious September 7, 2010