Mount Agung
{{Short description|Stratovolcano in Bali, Indonesia}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Agung
| native_name = {{native name|ban|ᬕᬸᬦᬸᬂᬅᬕᬸᬂ}}
| photo = Gunung Agung, an active volcano in Bali, Indonesia; January 2020.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Agung, 2020
| elevation_m = 3031
| elevation_ref = {{cite web |url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/indonesia.html |title=Mountains of the Indonesian Archipelago |publisher=Peaklist.org |access-date=27 November 2017 }}{{cite peakbagger |pid=11010 |title=Parwata Agung, Indonesia |accessdate=27 November 2017}}
| prominence_m = 3031
| prominence_ref =
Ranked 87th
| listing = Island high point
Ultra
Ribu
| map = Indonesia Bali
| map_caption =
| map_size = 280
| label_position = right
| translation = Paramount, The Great Mountain
| coordinates = {{Coord|8|20|27|S|115|30|12|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| topo =
| type = Stratovolcano
| age =
| last_eruption = 2019{{cite web | url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=264020 | title=Agung | publisher=Smithsonian Institution | department=Global Volcanism Program | access-date=2018-06-29}}
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = Besakih Temple
}}
Mount Agung ({{langx|ban|ᬕᬸᬦᬸᬂᬅᬕᬸᬂ|gunung āgung}}, {{langx|id|Gunung Agung}}) is an active volcano in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. It is located southeast of Mount Batur volcano, also in Bali.{{Cite journal|last1=Geiger|first1=Harri|last2=Troll|first2=Valentin R.|last3=Jolis|first3=Ester M.|last4=Deegan|first4=Frances M.|last5=Harris|first5=Chris|last6=Hilton|first6=David R.|last7=Freda|first7=Carmela|date=2018-07-12|title=Multi-level magma plumbing at Agung and Batur volcanoes increases risk of hazardous eruptions|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=8|issue=1|pages=10547|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-28125-2|pmid=30002471|pmc=6043508|bibcode=2018NatSR...810547G |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}} It is the highest point on Bali, and dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical. From the peak of the mountain, it is possible to see the peak of Mount Rinjani on the nearby island of Lombok, to the east, although both mountains are frequently covered in clouds. Agung is a stratovolcano, with a large and deep crater. Its most recent eruptions occurred from 2017–2019.
History of eruptions
= 1843 eruption =
Agung erupted in 1843,{{cite web |url=http://hl-128-171-57-22.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/7320/1/vol19n4-498-501.pdf |title=Pioneer Plants Found One Year After the 1963 Eruption of Agung in Bali |date=October 1965 |author=Anwari Dilmy |publisher=Pacific Science, Vol. XIX |access-date=27 November 2017 }} as recorded in a report by Heinrich Zollinger:
{{blockquote|text="After having been dormant for a long time, this year the mountain began to be alive again. In the first days of the activity earthquake shocks were felt after which followed the emission of ash, sand and stones."{{cite web |url=http://www.volcanolive.com/agung.html |title=Agung Volcano |author=John Seach |publisher=Volcano Live |access-date=27 November 2017 }}}}
= 1963–64 eruption =
The eruption of 1963 was one of the largest and most devastating eruptions in Indonesia's history.
On February 18, 1963, local residents heard loud explosions and saw clouds rising from the crater of Mount Agung. On February 24, lava began flowing down the northern slope of the mountain, eventually traveling 7 km in the next 20 days. On March 17, the volcano erupted (VEI 5), sending debris 8 to 10 km into the air and generating massive pyroclastic flows.
{{cite web
| url = http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/volcanoes/agung/geology.html
| title = Geology of Mt. Agung
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080327031557/http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/volcanoes/agung/geology.html
| archive-date= 2008-03-27
| publisher = Pusat Vulkanologi & Mitigasi Bencana Geologi – VSI.
| access-date = 2010-11-20
}}
These flows devastated numerous villages, killing an estimated 1,100–1,500 people. Cold lahars caused by heavy rainfall after the eruption killed an additional 200. A second eruption on May 16 led to pyroclastic flows that killed another 200 inhabitants. Minor eruptions and flows followed and lasted almost a year.{{cite web |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/once-tremors-detected-bali-volcano-can-erupt-within-hours-9269148 |title=Once tremors detected, Bali volcano can erupt within hours: Volcanologist |date=3 October 2017 |author=Pichayada Promchertchoo |publisher=CNA |access-date=27 November 2017 }}
{{cite journal
| bibcode = 1964BVol...27..269Z
| title = Preliminary report on the 1963 eruption of Mt.Agung in Bali (Indonesia)
| journal = Bulletin Volcanologique
| volume = 27
| issue = 1
| pages = 269–299
| last1 = Zen| first1 = M. T.
| last2= Hadikusumo |first2=Djajadi
| date=December 1964
| publisher = The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System
| doi= 10.1007/BF02597526
| s2cid = 128691551
}}
The lava flows missed, sometimes by mere meters, the Mother Temple of Besakih. The saving of the temple is regarded by Balinese as miraculous and a signal from the gods that they wished to demonstrate their power but not destroy the monument that the Balinese had erected.{{Cite journal|last1=Gertisser|first1=R.|last2=Deegan|first2=F. M.|last3=Troll|first3=V. R.|last4=Preece|first4=K.|date=2018|title=When the gods are angry: volcanic crisis and eruption at Bali's great volcano|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gto.12224|journal=Geology Today|language=en|volume=34|issue=2|pages=62–65|doi=10.1111/gto.12224|s2cid=134991685 |issn=1365-2451}}
During the eruptions and earthquakes, the wreck of the US transport ship, USAT Liberty, which had been grounded at nearby Tulamben during World War II after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, slipped off the beach and settled totally underwater.
Andesite was the dominant lava type with some samples mafic enough to be classified as basaltic andesite.Self, S., and M.R. Rampino, 2012: The 1963–1964 eruption of Agung volcano (Bali, Indonesia). Bull. Vulcanol., 74, 1521–1536 The eruption had global effects on temperatures.{{Cite journal|last1=Ivanov|first1=M.|last2=Evtimov|first2=S.|date=2009-09-03|title=1963: The break point of the Northern Hemisphere temperature trend during the twentieth century|journal=International Journal of Climatology|language=en|volume=30|issue=11|pages=1738–1746|doi=10.1002/joc.2002|issn=1680-7316}}
= 2017–2019 seismic activity and eruption =
File:Mount Agung, November 2017 eruption - 27 Nov 2017 02.jpg
{{Main |2017–2019 eruptions of Mount Agung}}
In late 2017, the area experienced 844 volcanic earthquakes, peaking at 300 to 400 earthquakes on 26 September. The frequency and intensity of these quakes caused much alarm among seismologists, as similar volcanoes have historically been known to erupt with even fewer warning signs.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/26/bali-volcano-eruption-seismic-activity-mount-agung|title=Bali volcano eruption could be hours away after unprecedented seismic activity|last=Lamb|first=Kate|date=2017-09-26|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-09-26|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} Alert was raised to the highest level and about 122,500 people were evacuated from their houses around the volcano.{{cite news|title=Indonesian official: More than 120,000 flee Bali volcano |publisher=Fox News|date=28 September 2017}} The Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority declared a 12-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano on 24 September.{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/thousands-evacuated-as-bali-volcano-sparks-fear/news-story/7a323056f5e512345575a14cf4e1f213|title=Thousands evacuated as Bali volcano sparks fear|date=24 September 2017|agency=The Australian}}
Evacuees gathered in sports halls and other community buildings around Klungkung, Karangasem, Buleleng, and other areas.{{Cite news|url=http://ubudhood.com/mount-agung-facts/|title=Mount Agung: facts about Bali's imminent volcano eruption|date=September 23, 2017|work=UbudHood|access-date=November 1, 2017|language=en-US}} By late October 2017, the activity of the volcano decreased significantly, leading to lowering of the highest status of emergency on 29 October.
On 21 November, activity increased once again. A phreatic eruption took place, with the ash cloud top reaching {{Convert|3842|m|ft}} above sea level.{{Cite web |url=https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/vona/display?noticenumber=2017AGU15 |title=Volcano Observatory Notice For Aviation: Agung 20171121/0939Z |publisher=MAGMA Indonesia |access-date=27 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630000620/https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/vona/display?noticenumber=2017AGU15 |archive-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=dead }} Thousands of people immediately fled the area,{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42070362 |title=Bali's Mount Agung volcano erupts |date=2017-11-21 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=2017-11-21 }} and over 29,000 temporary refugees were reported to be housed in over 270 locations nearby. Early on Saturday 25 November a magmatic eruption
began.{{Cite news|url=https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/agung/news/66181/Gunung-Agung-volcano-Bali-Indonesia-eruption-has-begun.html|title=Gunung Agung volcano (Bali, Indonesia): eruption has begun|date=2017-11-25|work=Volcano Discovery|access-date=2017-11-26|language=en-GB}} The resulting eruption plume was reported to rise about 1.5–4 km above the summit crater, drifting towards the south and dusting the surroundings with thin layer of dark ash, leading some airlines to cancel flights bound for Australia and New Zealand. An orange glow was later observed around the crater at night, suggesting that fresh magma had indeed reached the surface.{{Cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/27/get-out-now-100000-people-told-as-bali-volcano-continues-to-spew-ash-7110690/|title='Get out now' 100,000 people told as Bali volcano continues to spew ash|date=2017-11-27|work=Metro|access-date=2017-11-27|language=en-GB}} On 26 November 2017, another eruption occurred, the second in less than a week. Ngurah Rai International Airport was closed 26 November 2017,{{cite web |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/mount-agung-eruption-bali-airport-closed-flights-cancelled-9443114 |title=Mount Agung eruption: Bali airport closed, flights cancelled |date=27 Nov 2017 |author=Saifulbahri Ismail |publisher=CNA |access-date=27 November 2017 }} leaving many tourists stranded. Lahars were reported in the Selat district south of the volcano.{{Cite news|url=http://www.viva.co.id/berita/nasional/981801-lahar-dingin-gunung-agung-sapu-sawah-jadi-tontonan-warga|title=Locals Watch As Lahars From Mount Agung Sweep Away Rice Fields|date=2017-11-27|work=VIVA Indonesia|access-date=2017-11-27|language=id}} More than 100,000 people in a {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} radius of the volcano were ordered to evacuate.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42132912 |title=Mount Agung: Bali volcano alert raised to highest level |publisher=BBC News |date=27 November 2017 |access-date=27 November 2017}}
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology reported on 27 November that ash from the eruption had been observed at an altitude of 9,144 m.{{Cite web|url=http://media.bom.gov.au/releases/398/volcanic-ash-update-for-mount-agung/|title=Volcanic ash update for Mount Agung|date=2017-11-27|website=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|language=en|access-date=2017-11-27}} By the beginning of December, the eruption reduced to minor emissions of steam and smoke. On 12 December, a picture of the crater was taken showing a steadily growing lava dome occupying approximately one third of the crater.{{cite web|url=https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/agung/news/66532/Gunung-Agung-volcano-Bali-Indonesia-flat-lava-dome-occupying-summit-crater.html|publisher=Volcano Discovery|title=Agung volcano news & activity updates|date=2017-12-13}}
In June 2018, Agung erupted with 2 km high plumes interrupting air traffic. On 3 July, a Strombolian explosion occurred, sending debris in all directions.{{cite web |title=700 flee 'thunderous' explosions and lava as Mount Agung erupts again |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-03/mt-agung-erupts-again-in-bali-indonesia/9935190 |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |access-date=6 September 2018 |language=en-AU |date=3 July 2018}} In late May 2019 an eruption spewed lava and rocks over about 3 km, with some ash falling on nearby villages and temporarily interrupting international flights.{{cite news |title=Mount Agung: Flights resume after Bali volcano disruption |publisher=BBC News |date=25 May 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48408385 |access-date=25 May 2019}}
Influence on the climate
In Bali, the wet or rainy season runs from November to March – but it does not wet the whole island equally. The mountain range of Gunung Agung creates a rain shadow that divides the island between a dry northern part (narrower) and a wet southern part (broader). In the 1984–2009 period, the average annual rainfall in the northern part was 1761.3 mm / year, while the southern part received 2024.5 mm / year.{{cite journal |last1= Rahmawati |first1= Novi |last2= Lubczynski |first2= Maciek W. |date= October 2018 |title= Validation of satellite daily rainfall estimates in complex terrain of Bali Island, Indonesia |journal= Theoretical and Applied Climatology |volume= 134 |issue= 1-2 |pages= 1–20 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320873103_Validation_of_satellite_daily_rainfall_estimates_in_complex_terrain_of_Bali_Island_Indonesia |access-date= 2024-05-10 }} See p. 515, 517.
Of the 27 wildfires recorded in Bali's forests and savannas in September 2023, 13 – nearly half – occurred in the area surrounding Mount Agung in the Karangasem Regency; 5 fires were in the Buleleng Regency (northern part of the island) and 5 were near Mount Batur in the Bangli Regency.{{cite web |date= November 6, 2023 |title= Rain has returned to Bali. However, meteorologists predict a drought until the end of November |website= bali.live |url= https://bali.live/p/rain-has-returned-to-bali-however-meteorologists-predict-a-drought-until-the-end-of-november |access-date= 2024-05-10 }} (Temperatures decrease from April to July, then rise again from August onward.{{cite book |last1= Sapteka |first1= Anak Agung Ngurah Gde |last2= Narottama |first2= Anak Agung Ngurah Made |last3= Yasa |first3= Kadek Amerta |last4= Widyatmika |first4= Komang Agus |date= 2024 |chapter= Temperature and Relative Humidity in Temukus, Besakih Village, Ren-dang District, Karangasem Re-gency, Bali Province |editor-last1= Rasyid |editor-first1= M. U. H. Al |editor-last2= Muf |editor-first2= M. R. |title= Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied Science and Technology on Engineering Science 2023 (iCAST-ES 2023), Advances in Engineering Research 230 |url= https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125998354.pdf |access-date= 2024-05-10 }})
Religious beliefs
Balinese people{{Clarify|date=March 2019|reason=ALL Balinese people, or does this refer to either Balinese Hinduism or Balinese mythology?}} believe that Mt Agung is a replica of Mt Meru, the central axis of the universe. The most important temple on Bali, Pura Besakih, is high on the slopes of Gunung Agung.{{sfn|Pringle|2004|pp= 4, 63}}
See also
{{portal|Indonesia}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
- {{cite book |last= Pringle |first= Robert |url= https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/history/A-Short-History-of-Bali-Robert-Pringle-9781865088631 |title= A Short History of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu Realm |publisher= Allen & Unwin |series= Short History of Asia Series |date= 2004 |isbn= 1865088633 }}
External links
{{commons category|Mount Agung}}
- {{cite gvp|vn=264020|name=Agung}}
- [http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/agung Agung] on Volcano World
- {{Wikivoyage inline}}
- [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=11010 "Gunung Agung, Indonesia" on Peakbagger]
- [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Fontijn/publication/279225389_A_5000-year_record_of_multiple_highly_explosive_mafic_eruptions_from_Gunung_Agung_Bali_Indonesia_implications_for_eruption_frequency_and_volcanic_hazards/links/59bf7559aca272aff2e13ec0/A-5000-year-record-of-multiple-highly-explosive-mafic-eruptions-from-Gunung-Agung-Bali-Indonesia-implications-for-eruption-frequency-and-volcanic-hazards.pdf?origin=publication_list A 5000-year record of multiple highly explosive mafic eruptions from Gunung Agung (Bali, Indonesia): implications for eruption frequency and volcanic hazards]
- [https://www.google.com/maps/@-8.3420371,115.5032748,3a,90y,354.06h,105.15t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipN3zTK5F1yamRFMGmH7-yVPSGCtSYHW7nj2vj2c!2e10!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN3zTK5F1yamRFMGmH7-yVPSGCtSYHW7nj2vj2c%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-15.151014602612946-ya323.06065014092815-ro0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352!5m1!1e4?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D 360° View from the Summit of Mount Agung]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agung, Mount}}
Category:Sacred mountains of Indonesia
Category:Stratovolcanoes of Indonesia
Category:Active volcanoes of Indonesia
Category:20th-century volcanic events
Category:21st-century volcanic events