MOUNT RUANG (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Recently, a tsunami alert was issued in Indonesia following multiple eruptions of the Ruang mountain volcano, sending ash and lava thousands of feet into the sky.

Mount Ruang

• About: It is located in the North Sulawesi Province, prone to regular volcanic activity.
• Geological Structure: Stratovolcanoes like Mount Ruang are characterized by their conical shape and steep slopes.
• First Eruption: 1808

Volcanic Eruptions

• About: It is an opening in the earth’s surface that allows magma, volcanic ash, and gases to escape. They form at tectonic plate boundaries or hotspots.
• Process of Eruption: Volcanic eruption occurs when gas and/or lava are released from a volcano, sometimes explosively, due to pressure buildup.
• Environmental Benefits: Volcanoes offer environmental benefits such as fertile soils, hydrothermal energy, and valuable minerals due to volcanic activity.
• Hazards Associated: Volcanic hazards include ash clouds, gases, lahars (mud flows), landslides, lava flows, and pyroclastic flows (hot gas currents).
• Deadly Consequences: Volcanic eruptions can be deadly, causing population displacement, food shortages, and significant loss of life.