Mount Marapi -

Eruption Alert: Mount Marapi erupted recently, spewing a 1.5 km (4,900 ft) ash column above its summit.
- Impact: Ashfall disrupted air travel and affected nearby communities in West Sumatra.
- Monitoring: Indonesian authorities issued warnings, urging residents to stay outside a 3 km exclusion zone.

Location:
- Situated in the Padang Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone encircling the Pacific Ocean.
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano (composed of hardened lava, ash, and rock layers).
Elevation: 2,891 meters (9,485 feet) above sea level, making it the highest peak in West Sumatra’s volcanic highlands.

Summit Structure:
- Contains the Bancah Caldera, a crater complex with a diameter of 1.4 km (0.9 miles).
- Features overlapping craters from past eruptions.
Eruption Style:
- Known for explosive eruptions producing ash plumes, pyroclastic flows, and lahars (volcanic mudflows).

Deadliest Eruption (1979):
- Triggered a lahar (mudflow) after heavy rains saturated loose ash deposits from an earlier eruption.
- Resulted in 60 fatalities, highlighting risks of secondary volcanic hazards.
Frequent Activity:
- Over 50 recorded eruptions since the 19th century, with recent activity in 2011, 2018, and 2023.
Name Confusion: Often mistaken for Mount Merapi (Central Java), another active Indonesian volcano.

Threats:
- Ashfall damages crops, contaminates water, and disrupts aviation.
- Lahars pose risks to villages on its slopes.
Mitigation:
- Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) monitors activity and enforces evacuation protocols.

Mount Marapi is a high-risk stratovolcano in Indonesia’s seismically active Ring of Fire.
Its 1979 lahar disaster underscores the dangers of secondary volcanic hazards.
Recent eruptions highlight the need for continuous monitoring and community preparedness.

Mount Marapi