A waking up volcano in Bali - how dangerous is it? Active volcanoes in Bali

In July 2015, the Indonesian island of Bali was at the center of attention of the general public . The sky above it was tightened due to the release of ash. Thousands of tourists were blocked at the airport. The government evacuated local residents from the zone of natural cataclysm. But the rice fields were under a layer of volcanic ash. A few villages, located on the slopes of the fire-breathing mountain, burned down. How often is this situation in Bali? The eruption of a volcano for Indonesia - a phenomenon not rare. After all, the archipelagic state enters the so-called fiery belt of the Earth. This strip, stretching from Kamchatka to the equator along the Pacific coast, still suffers from the stormy tectonic activity of our planet. But Bali is also a popular tourist destination. Wide beaches with white sand, mountains, in which creek streams, crystal waterfalls and luscious greenery of tropical jungle ... To all this, add a first-class service and well-developed tourist infrastructure. Do the travelers who come to this tropical paradise greatly risk? Read about this in our article.

Explosive Indonesia

Every year seismologists register about seven thousand earthquakes in this country. The figure, of course, is impressive. But do not let this fact deter you from going to Indonesia. The lion's share of the tremors is recorded only sensitive instruments. But, nevertheless, seismologists keep an eye on the activity of the subsoil under the islands of Indonesia. After all, tremors may be symptoms of a much more dangerous phenomenon - a volcanic eruption. These mountains in Indonesia are truly deadly. Only one precursor of the eruption - the exit of sulfur gases - can kill all living things that are nearby. Pillars of smoke obscure the sky with impenetrable haze. Falling hot stones - volcanic bombs. And the streams of lava flow down, burning everything in its path. In Indonesia, there are five hundred volcanoes. But only 128 of them are active, and 65 are considered especially dangerous. Are volcanos dangerous in Bali and how much? We hasten to assure that most of the eruptions take place on the islands of Java and Sumatra. In the "tropical paradise" favorite by tourists, the situation is not so tense. Although…

Active volcanoes in Bali

To relax a little, let's remember the school science, or rather, the geography of the fifth class. Volcanoes are extinct, asleep and active. To which category to attribute this or that mountain, seismologists decide on the basis of the date of the last eruption. Bali is an island of volcanic origin. But not all mountains on it are potentially dangerous. After all, the island was formed millions of years ago. And if this or that volcano erupted for the last time more than ten thousand years ago, it is called extinct. When he was active 3500 years ago, he was recorded asleep. Now about the situation in Bali. It is believed that there are only two active volcanoes on this island. This is Gugung ("Mountain") Agung and Batur. All other volcanoes in Bali are extinct or asleep. Therefore, you can safely go to this island. The last volcanic eruption in Bali occurred in 2000. It is impossible to call this a real explosion - Gugung Batur threw out an ash column three hundred meters high, and this ended the matter. But in 1964 there was a real eruption (from the same volcano). The highest point of the island of Gugung Agung has not been active for a very long time.

A dangerous neighborhood?

Two active volcanoes on one small island - it's still too much, - fearful tourists will think. And they will be wrong. One has only to look at the density of the population around local volcanoes, how you will dispel the slightest fear. Small villages can be found even in the craters. Farmers are attracted to such a neighborhood, because rich in minerals volcanic ash is an excellent fertilizer for the soil. Due to the high altitude zone on the slopes of the mountain, a mild microclimate has developed, contributing to a good harvest. With irrigation of crops there are also no problems, as on the slopes of the mountains very often there are short rains. Any volcano in Bali enjoys the respect of local residents. This is evidenced by the temples on the slopes. And since these buildings are old, it can be concluded that the locals do not consider proximity to the volcano as dangerous. The tourism industry of Bali uses these mountains for excursions.

The importance of volcanoes for local residents

In the religion and culture of the Indonesians, the center of the universe was the mythical mountain of Mahameru. This axis of the universe split in two. So there were Agung and Batur - volcanoes, on top of which the gods dwell. All the villages in Bali are oriented towards the highest mountain of the island. Residents go to bed their head in the direction of Gugung Agung - that the soul was close to the gods. The legend says that before the emergence of volcanoes the island was deserted and infertile. In part this is true: ash fertilizes the soil very well. The gods descend to the people down on the big holidays, and then return to the top. To honor them, temples have been built on the slopes of volcanoes. Since Agung is the highest mountain of the island, the Besakii complex is also the most revered place of worship. This volcano in Bali is under the protection of Batara Mahadeva (in the local Hinduism of Shiva). Once in a hundred years in the temple of Besakih on the slopes of Agung, the ceremony of Eka Das Rudra - "purification of the world from all sins" is held. And this holiday in 1963 turned into a tragedy.

The eruption of Agunga

The ceremony for the purification of the world was scheduled for the spring of 1963. However, when the Agung volcano woke up in Bali in February, the priests stated that the inhabitants had chosen the wrong date for the ritual. Say, Shiva does not want to descend on this day to people and expresses his dissatisfaction with the pillars of smoke coming from the crater of the mountain. The priests were also united by volcanologists. They warned President Sukarno of Indonesia that Agung was showing signs of activity, and an eruption could begin. However, he already invited foreign delegations to the festival and did not want to postpone the ceremony. March 18, 1963, the eruption of Agunga entered the active phase. There were explosions of a crater, the lava has descended. The Temple of Besakikh was not injured by a miracle. The lava flow passed only a few meters from the buildings. However, a large number of people then perished. Now the peak of the volcano resembles the lunar landscape, which tourists come to admire. And the local people still honor Agung. They hang the offerings on a curved bamboo pole pengor, which outlines the shape of the highest peak of the island.

Gugung Agung

This is the highest stratovolcano in Bali - its peak is 3142 meters above the sea level. It is located in the eastern part of the island. The name Gugung Agung is translated as "Great Mountain". During the entire history of observations, the eruption of the volcano in Bali occurred only four times: in 1808, 1821, 1843 and 1963-1964. The last was the most significant and powerful. Then two thousand people died, lava and mudflows descended . Crimson sunsets, which were then observed in Europe, were associated, in the opinion of some scientists, with the release into the atmosphere of a large amount of ash from the mouth of Agunga. After the eruption, the parameters of the crater also changed. Now this is an oval funnel five hundred meters long and two hundred meters wide. The volcano showed little activity in the 1980s. In 2000-2001, near Agunga, an unusually hot temperature in the sources was noticed. Now the "Great Mountain" is sleeping ... Under the close attention of volcanologists.

Batur Volcano in Bali

This is the third highest mountain of the island. It is located very close to Agung. For tourists it is Batur is a favorite place for ascents. Why? First, the height. 1717 meters is not three thousand. The trek itself, if you start it very early in the morning, lasts half a day, and you can relax on the beaches. Secondly, at the foot of Batura is the lake of the same name, the most picturesque in the district. There are volcano slopes and temples. One of the tourist attractions of Batura are jets of hot steam. They make their way from various slots of the mountain, reminding careless travelers that the volcano is acting. Guides assure that it is possible to cook eggs in the jets of this pair. The last eruption of Batura occurred (in a duet with Agung) in 1964. After that, the volcano still threw up an ash column for three hundred meters in 2000, which resulted in the closure of the international airport for several days. Now Batur quieted down. Only steam jets warn of a hidden threat.

Batukaru

This is the second largest volcano in Bali. Its height is two thousand three hundred and fifty meters. On the slopes of this extinct volcano there is also a temple - Pura Luhur. The road to it leads through a forest with fast monkeys. To climb this mountain is recommended to make good pictures of the island from a bird's eye view.

Caldera Catur

When our planet was still young, the volcanoes on it were simply huge. When they erupted, calderas were formed with many independent vertices. This is now Catur - a chain of volcanoes stretching for eleven kilometers. To Sengayang, Pohanu, Lesung and Pengilingan excursions are sent, as this region is famous for its thermal springs. Still there are beautiful lakes - Bratan, Tamblingan and Buyan. To the south-west of Chatur stands Batukara - the second highest volcano in Bali.

What happened in the summer of 2015?

On the third of June the news came that the sky over the Bali airport was closed. Since the island is a popular tourist destination, this news caused a stir. Was there a new volcanic eruption in Bali? Batur slept since 1964, Agung too. What happened? In fact, the seismological situation has become aggravated in Java and Sumatra. The noise was made by the volcano Sinabung. He woke up in early 2014, killing sixteen people. There is a mountain in the north of Sumatra. In the summer of this year, Sinabung threw volcanic ash into the sky. Pillars of thick smoke reached an altitude of two thousand meters, temporarily making it impossible to fly by air. In July two more volcanoes in Java - Gamalama and Raung - woke up. Because of them, nine hundred flights were canceled.

Tourist attraction or serious risk?

So is it worth it to be afraid of volcanoes in Bali? As the tourists' reviews show, and the measured and calm life of the islanders themselves, there is no reason for concern. Volcanoes do not wake up instantly and unexpectedly. Their eruption is preceded by various phenomena, such as an increase in the temperature of the sources, the escape of gases. Especially attractive for tourists is a volcano on the island of Bali, like Batur.