Tremors around Bali’s Mount Agung have been steadily increasing, indicating an even higher chance of an eruption.
Just yesterday, we reported that Bali’s Mount Agung is on the verge of eruption. At the time, some 50,000 people were being evacuated from a 7-mile radius around the volcano. Seismic activity had increased dramatically over the last few weeks. By Tuesday morning, an eruption may be just hours away, and the number of evacuees has jumped to 75,000.
“Instrumentally we have never recorded such high energy or seismicity from Mount Agung,” Devy Kamil Syahbana, a seismologist from Indonesia’s center for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation, told the Guardian.
On Monday, Mount Agung was shaken by 844 volcanic earthquakes, indicating that magma is moving quickly upwards. The increasing frequency and strength of those earthquakes lead to authorities raising the alert status to the highest level. Although it isn’t a sure thing–knowing for sure that eruption is going to happen is impossible–it does seem very likely. “There is no volcanologist in the world who could predict precisely when a volcano will erupt,” Syahbana said. “Volcanoes are a stochastic system, many complexities are unknown by the human brain and technology.”
Kasbani, the head of the volcanology centre, told local media that if tremors continued, an eruption could be a “matter of hours” away.
Evacuees, hopeful that Mount Agung doesn’t erupt. Photo: CNN
Balinese officials are taking no chances. In 1963, the last time Agung blew its top, some 1,100 people died. Aside from the evacuations, however, it’s business as usual on Bali. The airport remains open, although there are plans in place if the volcano does erupt. “Denpasar City and most of the touristic destinations in Bali are safe from the eruption or dangerous impact of the eruption,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of Information and data of Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency.
