One to keep an eye on!

An eruption began at Piton de la Fournaise volcano, Reunion at 7:10 pm (local time) on 14th October 2010. The eruption site was located at an elevation of 2000 m on the southern side of the volcano. The events have accelerated in the early afternoon. The seismic crisis (characterized by numerous earthquakes at the base of the volcano) began at 1:30 p.m.. It peaked at about 3 pm. A larger than average earthquake occurred at 2:50 pm, which resulted in collapse of the inner walls of Dolomieu crater. The seismic crisis, which reflects the rise of magma in the volcano edifice, has slowed after 3 pm. According to information provided by the Volcano Observatory, the eruption took place near the site known as "Château-Fort".

All routes to Mount Merapi were closed to the public on Friday as the alert status of one of the most active volcanoes in the world was raised to “standby,” just one level below a full-blown eruption.

All residents on the slopes of the mountain have been advised to say outside an eight-kilometer radius from the peak following the issuance of the latest alert status on Thursday evening.

“We also advise people to stay away from the rivers that flow from the mountain because lava may spew out at any time and flow through them,” said Sri Sumarti, Mount Merapi section head at the Volcano Investigation and Technology Development Institution (BPPTK) in Yogyakarta.

Sand miners have been asked to stop all activities, and tourists and mountain climbers have been advised to stay away.

“They are not allowed to approach the disaster-prone areas. There are no exceptions to anyone on appeal. Only authorized personnel may enter to monitor the observation post at a certain distance,” she said.

Junita Parjanti, the spokeswoman of the National Park of Mount Merapi, said no climbing permits had been issued since Sept. 22, when the status was raised from the “active/normal” to “beware.”

Sumarti added that electronic distance measurement readings showed the fattening of the body of Mount Merapi continued to increase.

On Thursday it was recorded at 8.5 centimeters per day, while on Friday increased dramatically to 16.4 centimeters per day.

“On Friday, deep volcanic earthquakes occurred seven times, shallow volcanic earthquake 34 times, multiphase volcanic earthquakes 321 times and lava splashed 93 times,” she said.

The local governments in Yogyakarta, Boyolali, Klaten and Magelang, around Mount Merapi, are now accelerating the preparation of evacuation routes.

But Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said the government had not yet ordered an evacuation.

“We’re going to see the latest developments of the volcanic activities before issuing the evacuation order,” he said.

“If lava melts just around the top of the mountain and it does not reach the villages, residents would refuse to evacuate. They’re worried their property would be stolen if the houses are abandoned.”

“The mountain never really fully erupts, it just melts. I hope Mount Merapi will not erupt this time. But we will still prepare the evacuation plan for residents.”

Separately, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih told reporters in a press conference on Friday that the ministry had asked the local health agencies to be ready for a possible eruption of Mt. Merapi.

“We have asked local health agencies to have enough supplies of drugs because when people are evacuated and live in shelters they are at risk of acquiring ISPA [an upper respiratory syndrome], fever, and diarrhea,” Endang said.

“We do not want them experiencing shortage of drugs as well as health officials to help the evacuees,” she said.

Merapi last erupted in 2006, claiming two lives. Its biggest recorded eruption was in 1672, killing about 3,000 people.

Mount Merapi’s Swelling Signals Huge Eruption, Scientists Warn

Lava from Mount Merapi in Central Java began flowing down the Gendol River over the weekend, signaling an eruption could be imminent, a geologist said on Sunday.

The volcano, one of the world’s most active, last erupted in June 2006 shortly after the Yogyakarta earthquake, when a pyroclastic flow, or a fast-moving cloud of superheated gas, ran down its slopes and killed two people.

But Surono, head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), said the distension of the mountain’s slopes was much more rapid this time around, indicating a higher-pressure build-up of gas and hence a much more explosive eruption.

“We believe Merapi will erupt explosively, as it did in 1930, and not just spew gas like in 2006,” he said.

“However, that scenario is only a guess. No one really knows when Merapi will erupt and how much volcanic material it will spew out.”

The eruption in 1930 wiped out 13 villages on the slopes of the mountain, killing around 1,400 people.

The alert status for Merapi is currently “standby,” just one level below the alert for an eruption.

Sri Sumarti, the Merapi section head at the Volcano Investigation and Technology Development Institution (BPPTK), said thick clouds and mist over the weekend had prevented her team from measuring the mountain’s distension.

On Thursday, the volcanic cone was observed to be expanding by 8.5 centimeters a day, while on Friday the rate had picked up to 16.4 centimeters a day.

“We’ve also seen a dramatic increase in the number of multiphase volcanic earthquakes, from 321 on Friday to 525 on Saturday,” Sumarti said, referring to the tremors from volcanic activity.

“Lava spurts have also increased, from 93 on Friday to 183 on Saturday. We’re now on standby mode around the clock.”

She said there were two types of eruption, the first a Pelean eruption that has a pyroclastic flow with lava streams.

The second is a Plinian or Vesuvian eruption, which is far more explosive, throwing ash and rock more than 25 kilometers into the atmosphere, but does not always have a pyroclastic flow.

“Whichever we get, we must prepare for the worst,” she said.

Djarot Nugroho, head of the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Board, said about 53,600 people in the districts of Magelang, Boyolali, Klaten and Sleman were at risk and would have to be evacuated.

He added that 22 temporary shelters had been set up.

Hadi Prabowo, the Central Java provincial secretary, said Rp 25 billion ($2.8 million) had been allocated to respond to an eruption.

“We’re working with the police and the military, and we’re ready to face the threat from Merapi, which is quite frequent,” he said.

“We hope residents are ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice, to minimize casualties.”

Yogyakarta’s governor, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, said there was no evacuation order yet.

“We’re going to see the latest developments with the volcanic activity before issuing an evacuation order,” he said.

“The mountain never really fully erupts, it just kind of melts. I hope Mount Merapi doesn’t erupt this time. But we’ll still prepare evacuation plans for residents.”

An avalanche of rocks spilled down Merapi's trembling slopes before dawn Tuesday and gusts of hot ash shot 150 feet (50 meters) into the air as the mountain groaned and rumbled.

The greatest concern, Surono told reporters, was pressure building behind a massive lava dome that has formed near the tip of the crater.

"The energy is building up. ... We hope it will release slowly," he said. "Otherwise we're looking at a potentially huge eruption, bigger than anything we've seen in years."

Sri Purnomo, the head of Sleman district on Java island, where Mount Merapi is located, said officials were warning some 11,400 villagers living on the mountain's southern slope to prepare for "urgent evacuation."

Hundreds have already been relocated to makeshift camps set up at government buildings and sports fields more than six miles (10 kilometers) from the mountain's base, most of them elderly residents and children.

"I just have to follow orders to take shelter here for safety even though I'd rather like to stay at home," said Ponco Sumarto, 65, who arrived at one of the camps with her two grandchildren.

She said her children stayed at home to take care of their livestock and crops.

On October 24th, Mbah Marijan – the keeper of Mount Merapi – said he would not leave his village of Kinahrejo although it lies just 5 kilometres from the crater. He said: “If I leave, I fear people will misinterpret my decision and start to panic. They will think the condition of Merapi is very serious. However, I ask them to obey the evacuation orders of the government.”