Merapi strikes again<\/p>\n
From time to time Mother Nature still asks for sacrifices from
\nour people. In a country, which is dotted by so many volcanoes
\nand crisscrossed by wild rivers, we are often reminded that the
\nbehavior of the nature is still beyond our power to control. Many
\nrivers overflow during rainy seasons, inundating not only our
\nrural areas, but also our urban centers, and, here and there, the
\nvolcanoes erupt. The list of natural disasters could be longer if
\nwe considered the earthquakes, which are usually followed by
\ntsunami, both of them prodigious killers.<\/p>\n
Although western accounts of volcanic activity seldom
\nsubstantially mention Indonesia, this country, which sprawls over
\nthe equator, is home to 127 volcanoes, which stretch along a belt
\ncalled the Pacific Ring of Fire. Although only a few among the
\n127 volcanoes remain active, eruptions have cause immense loss of
\nlife and property.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is affected by what scientists call tectonic plates.
\nTheories about the phenomena explain why most volcanoes -- as
\nwell as most earthquakes -- occur only in certain places. The
\nbasic idea is that the earth's outer shell in divided into a
\nnumber of rigid sections of rock, called plates. The plates
\nslide or drift about continuously over a layer of partly melted
\nrock. They move about 1.5 centimeters to 20 centimeters a year,
\nand as they do so, their boundaries collide, spread apart, or
\nslide past one another. Most volcanoes, scientists say, occur at
\nthe plate boundaries.<\/p>\n
Due to the menacing behavior of this nation's natural
\nenvironment, many Indonesians have studied volcanology. They have
\ninvestigated the nature and causes of volcanic eruptions and on
\nmany occasions have helped save many lives. Yet no matter how
\nmuch knowledge is achieved, it remains exceedingly difficult to
\npredict when and where eruptions will occur.<\/p>\n
Mt. Merapi, which erupted violently on Tuesday, is classified
\nas one of the most active volcanoes in the world, although its
\nworst eruption happened 64 years ago. Since then it has
\noccasionally threatened surrounding villages with lava flows.<\/p>\n
In January 1992, Merapi threatened to submerge the surrounding
\nvillages with molten lava and the local people were warned of the
\nlooming danger. Vulcanologists could not predict whether the
\nsituation would become worse, they only knew the volcano was
\nputting out lava. Fortunately, the following days saw Merapi's
\nactivities declining.<\/p>\n
But no warnings whatsoever were heard from the experts about
\nthe possibility that the volcano would erupt on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
What happened was tragedy and disaster. More than 20 people
\nwere killed, many others have been declared missing and many more
\nare still suffering from serious burns.<\/p>\n
Survivors say the eruption was so sudden that they did not
\nhave enough time to run to safety.<\/p>\n
We understand that it is difficult to predict volcanic
\nactivities, but we wonder why nobody sounded any kind of warning
\neven though it was clear that the volcano was showing an
\nincreased level of activity on Sunday. It might have been a case
\nof mistaken interpretation because the volcano has threatened a
\npowerful explosion so many times since 1930.<\/p>\n
In view of what happened this week, it is best not to waste
\ntime wringing our hands and wondering why so many had to die. It
\nis time for the government and other parties concerned with this
\nsector to pay more attention to the volcanic threat, for example,
\nby supplying vulcanologists with the latest devices in order to
\nenable them to measure the expansion of volcanoes and to predict
\neruptions more accurately.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/merapi-strikes-again-1447893297",
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