Small Explosive Eruptions at Indonesia's Tangkubanparahu

A 2009 image of the summit crater area at Tangkubanparahu, Indonesia. Image: Jean-Marie Hullot / Fotopedia Volcanic activity is almost constant along the arc of islands that make up Indonesia. If you follow the news, every few weeks there is a report on another Indonesia volcano becoming restless enough that areas surrounding the volcano are deemed "off limits" or evacuations are needed. This week, it was increasing activity at Tangkubanparahu on Java that has people's attention. The volcano has produced a number of small-to-moderate explosive eruptions over the past day that resulted in a ~500 meter / 1,640 foot ash plume -- enough noise to deem the entire summit crater area off limits to the frequent tourists who hike the mountain and to raise the alert status to its second highest level. Tangkubanparahu has a history of small (VEI 1-2) eruptions that are dominated by stream-driven explosions (phreatic) and based ...