MOUNT KELUD, INDONESIA — Several Indonesian volcanos spewed hot ash, molten rock and clouds of dark smoke Monday, and scientists warned that a violent eruption could come at any moment.
The most threatening was the deadly Mount Kelud on densely populated Java island, where a dome of magma was forming under a crater lake and soaring temperatures overheated monitoring equipment.
A few hundred miles away, Anak Krakatoa, or the “Child of Krakatoa” in English, fired pumice and lava onto its slopes.
At least one other of Indonesia’s approximately 100 active volcanoes sent bursts of ash showering down on nearby villages.
Experts said there was no connection between the heightened activity at the different volcanos along the tropical archipelago.
Authorities monitoring the peaks were most concerned about Kelud because of its deadly history, including a 1919 explosion that killed thousands.
The temperature of the crater lake on Mount Kelud was so great that nearby monitoring equipment stopped working, said Surono, one of 16 volcanologists watching over the peak 24 hours a day. Like many Indonesians, he uses only one name.
Despite the threat, there was little sense of panic on Kelud’s slopes, witnesses said.
While several thousand people have fled to government shelters, authorities said Sunday that about 25,000 others were ignoring evacuation orders and remained in the danger zone around Kelud.
Since Friday, scientists have been warning an eruption was imminent based on the frequency of tremors and Kelud’s intense heat.
About 40 miles southeast of Kelud, Mount Semeru was also putting on a display, sending out clouds high into the air that coated buildings in nearby villages and the town of Blitar with a fine layer of ash, witnesses said.
Ash rain from Semeru is common in the town, and volcanologist Umar Rosadi said people had no need to worry. No evacuations were ordered.
Anak Krakatoa was formed off the northern tip of Java island after a massive eruption at the giant Krakatoa volcano in 1883.
