VOLCANO WATCH - MOUNT AGUNG, BALI

Volcano Watch - Mount Agung, Bali

Hundreds of tremors are currently being recorded each day at the site amidst an imminent eruption in Bali, Mount Agung last erupted in 1963 with mainly pyroclastic flows killing a 1000 people and hundreds more injured. The tremors of late have been increasing in number, 800 were recorded on Wednesday the 27th September 2017 they are increasing in intensity, and the reduction in the depth of the tremor over the last few days indicate that the magma is moving up towards the surface. Gas has also been emitting from the summit and the volcano is said to be bulging from the pressure. More than 120,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area as Indonesian authorities declared the highest possible alert warning, this time authorities have taken plenty precautions to avoid any loss of life or injury.

Did you know that when a volcano erupts, the earth actually gets cooler? Yeah, In 1963 when Mount Agung last erupted, the temperature of the earth cooled by 0.1 and 0.4 degrees Celsius. This is possible because volcanoes such as Mount Agung generate sulfur-based aerosols which block radiation from the sun and therefore the climate is affected by a decrease in global temperatures. Volcanoes also contribute to global warming by releasing CO2, underwater and land-based volcanoes release an estimated 100m-300m tonnes of CO2 each year. There is an upside though, Volcano ash often contains minerals that are beneficial to plants, if the ash is very fine it is able to break down quickly and get mixed into the soil surrounding the volcano resulting in nutrient-rich soil.