Stage 4 Geography

Volcanic eruptions occur due to the movement of tectonic plates. The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung was caused by the collision of tectonic plates (King, M). The effects of a volcanic eruption are dangerous, it can result in death and monumentous losses for the economy. 

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Mount Agung is located on the Sunda plate boundary.  

Below are links to helpful websites that explore the 1963 eruption.

Mount Agung facts 

Daily Mail news article

Geology.com
Geophysicist Jacqueline Salzer

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Mount Agung facts website:

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Mount Agung or Gunung Agung is a volcano in Bali in Indonesia, located south east of Mt Batur volcano, also in Bali. Towering 3,031 metres above sea level, Mount Agung is the highest mountain on the island of Bali and the fifth highest volcano in the whole of Indonesia. It dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns.

Mount Agung has huge spiritual significance to the people of the island, and is home to the 'Mother Temple' of Besakih. It forms part of a chain of volcanos that make up the back bone of Bali. Balinese legend has it that Agung was created when the Hindu God Pasupati split Mount Meru (the spiritual axis of the universe) and formed Mount Agung with a fragment. The most important temple on Bali, Pura Besakih, is located high on the slopes of Gunung Agung.

Gunung Agung last erupted in February 2018. Its previous eruption was in January 2018. The eruption in 1963 was one of the largest and most devastating in Indonesia's history. Gunung Agung is an active volcano, with a large and deep crater that occasionally emits smoke and ash. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical.

 

Mount Agung viewed from the east

From the peak of the mountain, it is possible to see the peak of Mt Rinjanion the nearby island of Lombok, to the east, although both mountains are frequently covered in clouds.

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1963 eruption
 

Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, causing devastation in the eastern part of Bali and beyond. Ancient Balinese texts demand that the most important of Balinese Hindu rituals, the Eka Dasa Rudra, is performed every 100 years to purify our world. Such a ceremony was scheduled at Besakih temple in 1963. In February of that year Mount Agung started to rumble, and high priests argued that this was a bad omen from the Gods and that the wrong date had been scheduled for the ceremony. By this time though President Sukarno had arranged to attend with a group of foreign dignatories and he ordered that the event must go ahead.

On March 8th the mountain was in a full pre-eruption phase and on March 18th it blew with such force that the top 100 metres or more was blasted away. Lava spewed over much of eastern Bali, a devastating gas cloud swept across villages and ash destroyed all crops. Up to 2,000 people are thought to have died and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Quite remarkably, the mother temple of Besakih perched high on the slopes of the mountain was relatively untouched by this event, fuelling the local spritual reasoning for the eruption. Further, many Balinese argued that this eruption was a portent of dreadful things to come and felt vindicated when the whole nation was plunged into civil crisis in 1965.

The cleansing rituals from the 1963 ceremonies were finally finished at Besakih in 1979.
 

Effects 

• Destroyed villages

• Destroyed crops

• Homes destroyed

• People killed

• People homeless

• Mudflows

• Gas and ash clouds 

• Pyroclastic flows

• Lava flows 

• Limited clean drinking water and food

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Pyroclastic flow effects

Pyroclastic flows move fast and destroy everything in their path. ... Pyroclastic flows contain a high-density mix of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas. They move at very high speed down volcanic slopes, typically following valleys.Pyroclastic flows knock down, shatter, bury or carry away nearly all objects and structures in their way.

 

Volcanic ash effects

If Volcanic ash is inhaled, it can cause breathing problems and damage to the lungs. Inhaling large amounts of ash and volcanic gases can cause a person to suffocate. 

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Lahars

After the 1963-1964 eruption, about 200 people were killed by cold lahars [1]. These are mudflows composed of rainwater and volcanic debris from the eruption. Heavy rain falling high on the mountain saturates a thick ground cover of volcanic ash. A landslide, possibly triggered by earthquakes within the volcano, begins and accelerates as it travels downslope, picking up more material and momentum as it travels.

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Consequences of the hazard on governments

The government has to pay money to provide aid for the people of Indonesia.

 

The government and various organisations provided essential items such as buckets, blankets and tarps. They would have distributed emergency shelter and tools to assist people with a temporary and transitional place to stay. They also assisted with hygiene kits, water and sanitation to prevent the spread of disease. 

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The Red Cross emergency appeal will enable us to provide life-saving assistance, send specialist aid workers to assist local responders on the ground, and help communities to recover.

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A map of Mount Agung showing the extent of the 1963 lava flows. 

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Bibliography

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Kiddle Encyclopedia. "Mount Agung facts". https://kids.kiddle.co/Mount_Agung Accessed 5th October 2018

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Max Margin. "Lava flows, landslides and 1,500 dead: How Mount Agung's 1963 eruption destroyed entire villages - as locals flee for their lives amid warning Bali's volcano is set to explode AGAIN". https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5120023/How-Balis-Mount-Agung-1963-eruption-left-1-500-DEAD.html Accessed 5th October 2018

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Hobart King. "Mount Agung". https://geology.com/volcanoes/agung/ Accessed 5th October 2018

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Jacqueline Salzer. "Why an eruption of Bali's Mount Agung is so dangerous" Why an eruption of Bali's Mount Agung is so dangerous. Accessed 5th October 2018