Mount Soputan Volcano erupts on Sulawesi Island of Indonesia

Central Indonesia’s Mount Soputan volcano erupted on 16th December 2018, sending ash about 7.5 km high in the sky. Mount Soputan erupted twice on the same day, forcing local residents to move to safer places. Mount Soputan volcano is one of the most active volcanoes of Indonesia. it is located on the Sulawesi island in Indonesia.
Indonesia has around 129 active volcanoes and Mount Soputan is one of 1them. The country of Indonesia is an archipelago which is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanoes as it is located on the “the Pacific Ring of Fire”.  The most active volcanoes of Indonesia are Kelud and Merapi. Both these volcanoes are located on the Java island of Indonesia and have claimed the lives of many people in the region.

About the Pacific Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire is a major area in the Pacific Ocean, approx 25000 miles, where about 75% of the world’s volcanoes are located. The Ring-of-Fire is also called as the Circum-Pacific Belt. Many major and minor tectonic plates such as the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates meet at the Ring of Fire. The movement of these tectonic plates leads to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and formation of deep trenches in the ocean. The Mariana trench which is the deepest ocean trench is also located in the Ring-of-Fire.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2018