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Lava bubbles in Comoros volcano, little risk seen
Moroni (AFP) May 29, 2006 Molten lava simmered in the main crater of the only active volcano in the Comoros on Monday but experts said there was little risk to humans from Mount Karthala's weekend eruption. As nervous residents in the capital cast wary glances at the imposing mountain, which erupted twice last year, vulcanologists said there was no immediate threat to either the city or villages in its shadow. "There is a bubbling lava lake (but) all the activity is confined within the crater," said Julie Morin, a volcano expert from the nearby French island of Reunion who was in several reconnaissance flights over the mountain. "We flew around the crater four times and we saw that all the activity was in the Chahale crater," she told reporters. Mount Karthala erupted late on Sunday, creating a red cloud over its crater as lava glowed through the night skies but there was no flow of molten rock or the ash and dust that have accompanied previous eruptions. "It was a mild magma eruption," said Hamidou Nassor, head of the Mount Karthala National Observatory, adding, however, that scientists could not rule out the possiblity of increased activity in the coming days. The 2,361-meter (7,746-foot) volcano lies just 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Moroni, the capital of three-island Indian Ocean achipelago on the main isle of Grand Comore. It last erupted in November, spewing a huge ash cloud into the air that was big enough to temporarily deprive Grand Comore's 250,000 inhabitants of drinking water. Last April, nearly 10,000 villagers living at the base of the mountain fled their homes after ash sparked widespread fears of drinking water contamination. Mount Karthala last had a magma eruption in 1977, when lava destroyed the village of Singani, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Moroni, and toxic gas was released into the air but did not cause any deaths. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Volcano near Indonesian quake zone shows increased activity
Mount Merapi, Indonesia (AFP) May 29, 2006 Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano, located near the epicentre of a strong weekend earthquake, showed increased activity Monday, belching more lava and heat clouds, scientists said. |
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