Indonesian volcano Sinabung (photo)
The largest concentration of volcanoes is in"Fiery belt" of the Earth - the Pacific volcanic ring. It was here that 90% of all earthquakes occurred in the world. The so-called fire belt stretches along the entire perimeter of the Pacific Ocean. In the west along the coast from the peninsula of Kamchatka and to New Zealand and Antarctica, and in the east, passing through the Andes and the Cordilleras, reaches the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
One of the current centers of the "fiery belt"is located in the north of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia - the volcano Sinabung. This one of the 130 volcanoes in Sumatra is notable for the fact that over the past seven years it has been constantly active and has attracted the attention of both scientists and the media.
Chronicle of Sinabunga
The first after four centuries of sleep eruptionThe Indonesian volcano Sinabung started in 2010. On the weekend of August 28 and 29, an underground roar and rumble was heard. Many residents, about 10,000 people, ran away from the awakened volcano.
On Sunday night, the volcano Sinabung woke upfinally: the eruption began with a powerful release of a column of ash and smoke more than 1.5 km up. After the explosion on Sunday, followed by a more powerful one on Monday, August 30, 2010. The eruption took the life of two people. A total of about 30,000 surrounding residents were forced to leave houses and volcanic ash covered fields with a dead crop. In the photo below, people run away from the cloud of ash.
In February 2014, a catastrophe occurred. After the cessation of volcanic activity (in early January), evacuated villagers located more than 5 km from the volcano were allowed to return home. But right after that, on February 1, a powerful lava release and pyroclastic flow killed 16 people.
And until now the volcano Sinabung has not calmed down: the column of ash and smoke is visible for many kilometers, eruptions of varying strength and duration do not cease and take lives of brave souls who ventured to return to the zone of alienation of the volcano with a radius of 7 km, which after the disaster of 2014 was organized by the government of Sumatra.
It is noteworthy that in the exclusion zone it is possiblemeet whole cities and villages, ghosts, collapsing, empty, as if the apocalypse has already overtaken the Earth. But there are also brave farmers who continue to live at the foot of the volcano Sinabung. What attracts them so much?
Why do people settle near the foot of the volcanoes
The soil on the slopes of volcanoes is extremely fertiledue to the minerals that fall into it with volcanic ash. In a warm climate, you can grow more than one crop per year. Therefore, the farmers of Sumatra, despite the dangerous proximity of the volcano Sinabung, do not leave the house and plowed land at its foot.
In addition to agriculture, they mine gold, diamonds, ore, volcanic tuff and other minerals.
What is dangerous is the volcanic eruption
Among people who do not live geologicallyactive area, widespread cliché, that the eruption of the volcano is associated exclusively with the flow of lava, which rushes along the mountainside. And if a person was lucky to be or settle and sow the crop on the opposite side of it, then the danger is over. Otherwise, you just need to climb higher on a rock or swim on a stone debris among the lava, as on an ice floe on the water, the main thing is not to fall down. And it is better to run to the right side of the mountain in time and wait an hour or two.
Lava, of course, is deadly dangerous. Like the earthquake that accompanies the eruption of the volcano. But the flow is moving quite slowly, and a physically fit person is able to get away from it. An earthquake is not always a great magnitude either.
In fact, pyroclastic flows and volcanic ash are a huge danger.
Pyroclastic flows
The hot gas that bursts out of the bowelsvolcano, picks up stones and ashes and sweeps everything in its path, rushing down. Such flows reach a speed of 700 km / h. For example, you can imagine the train "Sapsan" at full speed. Its speed is about three times smaller, but despite this, the picture is quite impressive. The temperature of the gases in the floating mass reaches 1000 degrees, it can burn all life on the way in a matter of minutes.
One of the most deadly pyroclasticflows, known in history, destroyed at once 28,000 people (according to some sources, up to 40,000 people) in the port of Saint-Pierre on the island of Martinique. May 8, 1902 in the morning the volcano Mont-Pele, at the foot of which the port was located, after a series of monstrous explosions threw out a cloud of hot gas and ash, which in a few minutes reached the settlement. The pyroclastic stream swept through the city at a frantic speed, and there was no escape even on the water, which instantly boiled and killed everyone who fell into it from inverted ships in the harbor. Only one vessel managed to get out of the bay.
In February 2014, 14 people died in such a flood during the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Sinabung.
Volcanic ash
At the time of the eruption of ash and fairly largestones thrown by a volcano can burn or cause injury. If we talk about the ashes that cover everything around after the eruption, then its consequences are more long-playing. In his own way he is even beautiful - the post-apocalyptic landscape from the island of Sumatra in the photo below is confirmation.
In addition, in large numbers, it is disastrous for agriculture.
Cars, airplanes, water treatment plants, even communication systems - all fail under the layer of ash, which also indirectly poses a danger to people's lives.
Extreme tourism
Man and nature continue to wage unequal battle with each other!
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