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Indonesian Volcano Alert Lowered
Jakarta (AFP) July 16, 2007 Thousands of people who fled their homes around the slopes of a smouldering volcano in Indonesia were Monday told it was safe to return after authorities downgraded the alert status. Mount Gamkonora on the northeastern island of Halmahera was put on top alert last Tuesday, meaning experts believed an eruption could be imminent. "We have downgraded the alert level because the seismic activity of the volcano has somehow grown much quieter, and there have only been fumes emitted from the crater," said Saud Situmorang from Indonesia's volcanology headquarters in Bandung. He said the smoke curling from the crater was very weak, reaching just 50 to 100 metres (yards) high and the tectonic quakes registered were very small. Last week, smoke stretched four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the air. "The weakening of the seismic activities of the volcano has been noticed since July 13," he said. A statement on the volcanology office website said the downgrade meant "the displaced can return to their respective homes and conduct their daily activities as usual." Nearly 9,000 people were evacuated from their homes around the arid slopes of Gamkonora to safe shelters in anticipation of a possible eruption. The office said there was still a chance that the volcano could make small emissions of smoke or other material but any eruption would not be dangerous or reach settlements. The effect of such a small eruption would not reach more than a radius of three kilometres from the peak of the mountain, it said. Indonesia sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity. Gamkonora, some 2,700 kilometres (1,600 miles) northeast of Jakarta, has erupted 12 times since records have been kept. It most recently sprang into action in 1987, but no casualties were reported.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links the missing link Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Japan Quake Kills Eight
Kashiwazaki, Japan (AFP) Jul 17, 2007A powerful earthquake struck Japan on Monday, killing eight people, injuring hundreds and causing radioactive water to leak from a nuclear plant that also caught fire. The mid-morning quake, striking northwest of Tokyo and registering 6.8 on the Richter scale, also damaged hundreds of homes, reducing some to heaps of rubble. "The television set and washing machine were thrown across the room," said Satoshi Hirokawa, 51, whose house in the worst-hit city of Kashiwazaki was partially destroyed. |
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