Mt. Raung Eruptions Force Flight Cancellations

Volcanic ash from Mt. Raung forces flight cancellation to and from Bali

Eruptions at Mt. Raung have prompted the authorities to raise the volcanic alert from Level 2 to Level 3. The volcano has been ejecting volcanic matter into the air since Sunday, said the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG).

Increased activity was detected at the volcano on June 24, 2015. The volcano began to eject volcanic matter on June 29, creating an ash cloud that led to warnings being issued to residents within a 3-km radius of the caldera, and flight disruptions in and out of Bali.

“The Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in East Java said on Monday that the 3,333-meter Mount Raung had discharged molten lava on Sunday evening, confirming the authorities’ recent decision to increase the volcano’s alert status, said a report.

More than 2,000 residents in “two districts in Bondowoso lie within Mt. Raung’s potentially Disaster Prone Area (KRB),” and may have to be evacuated in the event of a major eruption.

Mt. Raung
The 3,333-meter volcano, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, is a massive stratovolcano located in the province of East Java, and has a 2-km-wide and 500-metre-deep caldera.

Ruang is about 140km northwest of Bali’s Denpasar airport.

Volcanology of Java

Made up almost entirely of volcanic eruptions, the island of Java contains dozens of volcanoes including at least 45 that are considered to be “active” volcanoes.