1882 Mt Galunggung, Indonesia


 

 

1882 Mt. Galunggung, Indonesia

By,

                              Emily Vasseur

 

           

 

     In the month of October of 1882, a casualty occurred. In Indonesia the volcano Mt. Galunggung erupted. This eruption caused 4,011 deaths and 114 destroyed villages. It was also categorized as a VEI=5 volcanic eruption.[1] The VEI stands for Volcanic Explosivity Index and it records how much volcanic material is thrown out, how high the eruption goes, and how long it lasts.  Mt. Galunggung is located in West Java, Indonesia (specifically 7.25 degrees south and 108.05 degrees east) on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Pacific Ring of Fire includes islands and coasts of Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America. It is shaped like a horseshoe and has a height of about 2.167 meters above sea level.[2]

    

                                                                         

    

      Mt. Galunggung is a stratovolcano which is defined as a large and steep volcano that is made up of alternating layers of lava and ash. The main causes of death from this eruption was nuee ardentes and mudflows. When Mt. Galunggung started erupting it started spewing boiling water and lava which caused the mudflows.This volcano is ranked to be the 10th deadliest volcanic eruption in the world.[3]

 

     

 

     Mt. Galunggung erupts at fairly regular intervals between seven to nine decades. After an eruption lava plugs up the crater, but when the next eruption happens, it get's blown off. After the eruptions in the late 1800's and early 1900's the volcano began to fall silent. By 1973 the volcano showed no signs of volcanic activity. After not erupting for almost 10 years it erupted on April 3, 1982. This eruption blanketed all the surrounding areas with ash. This violent activity continued for about 2 years.[4]

 

 

    

     Indonesia is in the meeting place of two plates, the Eurasian plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. Most of the reasons that volcanoes and earthquakes happen around the areas of Java and Sumatra is because of the subduction zone that was created.[5] 

 

 

 

      Even though Mt. Galunggung is yet again silent, it is still obvious of how much damage this volcano has caused in the past. Large areas of the mountains surrounding Mt. Galunggung are barren, free of vegetation, and there about five dozen hot springs scattered around it's slopes.[6]

 

*note: All Photos are linked.

Footnotes

  1. "10 Deadliest Volcanic Eruptions." Hottnez. Hottnez.com, 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .
  2. "Mount Galunggung." Culinary and Tourism. Culinary and Tourism, 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .
  3. "Mount Galunggung." Jowobanget. Platinum CEO, 2010. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .
  4. "The World's Worst Volcanic Eruptions." Epic Disasters. Expression Engine, 1/09. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .
  5. "The Indonesian Volcanoes: Mount Galunggung, West Java." The Indonesian Volcanoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. .
  6. "Mount Galunggung." Culinary and Tourism. Culinary and Tourism, 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2010. .