The world was supposed to end on 23 September, but we’re all still here. However, the planet wants to remind everyone that our existence is hinged on its mood. This week, volcanoes in Indonesia, Mexico and Vanuatu are all threatening eruptions, with some angry craters prompting evacuations.
Ambae Island, Vanuatu
Around 3000km north of New Zeland in the southwestern Pacific, over 10 000 people have been ordered to evacuate Vanuatu’s Ambae Island, in the wake of a possible eruption of Manaro Voui.
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Citizens will be “evacuated by ship to the neighbouring islands of Maewo, Espiritu Santo, Pentecost and Malakula,” Vanuatu Digest reports.
#Breaking: #Vanuatu Govt orders evacuation of entire #Ambae population of 11,100 to neighbouring islands https://t.co/dfmBRVs2oH #volcano pic.twitter.com/3lhh6W3Ry6
— Vanuatu Digest
(@VanuatuDigest) September 28, 2017
Infrared footage taken by the New Zealand Defence Force shows the volcano’s current angry state.
Infrared footage shows Vanuatu’s Manaro volcano – @nzdf
27 SEP 2017. Imagery taken during a New Zealand Defence Force aerial survey on September 27 showed huge columns of smoke, ash and volcanic rocks billowing from the crater of Manaro Voui volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambae Island. pic.twitter.com/rArIu3mtOS— Jeannie Curtis (@VolcanoJeannie) September 27, 2017
NEWS || Our highly trained Orion crew has surveyed volcano activity in the Sth Pacific. NZDF is pleased to help the Vanuatu Gvt.#Force4Good pic.twitter.com/SyW5HK8iZ2
— Royal NZ Air Force (@NZAirForce) September 27, 2017
Bali, Indonesia
On Indonesia’s Bali Island, Mount Agung is also threatening eruption.
Videos taken this week shows steam spewing from the 3031m-tall peak.
Video I took of Mt. Agung spewing steam today in Bali, from inside the evacuation zone at 4:30 pm, 27 Sep. #agung #bali #volcano pic.twitter.com/sW4hI6sYN5
— wolfofbroward (@wolfofbroward) September 27, 2017
@VictoriaLIVE @VolcanoBali @balivolcano88 @BBCNews view of the volcano as we took off from Bali this afternoon just after 4pm pic.twitter.com/zL6SFS6Pkc
— Chantel (@chauny4ever) September 27, 2017
Snaps published on Twitter today suggests that Agung’s mood hasn’t improved.
Mt Agung … right now pic.twitter.com/UVtWpV851i
— Adam Harvey (@adharves) September 28, 2017
Indonesia correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald Jewel Topsfield captured this chilling warning sign.
The “volcano hazard zone” extends 12km from the peak, while volcano itself is located around 70km southwest from the island’s popular tourist coastline.
Signs are now up warning you are about to enter the Mount Agung volcano hazard zone pic.twitter.com/yGedlmoPXp
— Jewel Topsfield (@JewelTopsfield) September 28, 2017
While Twitter is being used by journalists to document the event, Facebook is also being used to share valuable information ahead of a possible eruption. This page features over 4000 followers at the time of writing.
More than 120 000 people have since evacuated the area around the volcano, which last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1000.
Mexico City, Mexico
In the wake of its recent earthquakes, Mexico’s capital faces another possible natural disaster.
Popocatépetl, a 5400m-tall peak 90km outside the city centre, spewed ash and rocks into the Mexican air last Saturday. The ash cloud could be seen from the city centre.
Another eruption was reported on Wednesday. Mexico’s CENAPRED also recorded “96 minutes of low-amplitude volcanic tremor” during this period.
The warning level for the volcano remains on “Yellow Phase 2” which suggests that spurts of ash and debris can be expected.
Feature image: Russ Bowling via Flickr (CC BY 2.0, resized)
