Bali's Mount Agung has first major volcano eruption since 1963, sends thick ash cloud into sky
Mount Agung, a volcano on Bali, erupted over the weekend, sending a thick ash cloud into the sky over the Indonesian island and grounding thousands of travelers.
The latest eruption sent ash more than 1.2 miles, or 2,000 meters, into the air on Sunday, Bali's Regional Disaster Management Agency told CNN. The volcanic ash plume following the eruption reached an altitude of more than 4.7 miles and activity is still ongoing. The eruptions marked the first major activity from Mount Agung since 1963, though there is still the threat of an even bigger eruption to come.
The first eruption occurred around 4:30 a.m. ET on Saturday with more continuing over the following day.
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The disaster management agency advised residents to evacuate from 224 points around the island, according to CNN. The agency recommended no public activities around 3.5 to 4.5 miles from the peak of Mount Agung.
At least 14 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 5,500 passengers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Indonesia issued its highest-level aviation warning for flights around Bali, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Mount Agung has been rumbling for months and has shown seismic activity throughout the last week, triggering warnings. An eruption began last week and was followed by a low-frequency tremor signal, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.
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As of last week, the eruptions were only "phreatic," meaning they did not include magma. But that appears to have changed over the weekend, and it is expected to continue to erupt.
Last September, the volcano awoke for the first time in five years and led to an evacuation of 140,000 people from their homes. More than half of those who evacuated were advised to return home in October as activity decreased, Indonesian authorities told The Guardian.
About 30,000 people in Bali are now living in temporary shelters, according to ABC.
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
