Indonesia's Ruang Volcano Erupts, Japan Monitors for Tsunami Impact
Big ash clouds came from Indonesia's Ruang volcano early in the morning on April 30, 2024, Japan time. Japan's Meteorological Agency said the smoke from the explosion was 19,000 meters high [1]. The highest level of warning was raised by the Indonesian government, and the over 800 people who lived on Ruang Island were told to stay away from the volcano [2]. Most of these people had already left after earlier earthquakes in April.
There were worries that the strong earthquake could cause a storm that would hit Japan. It was first thought by the Japan Meteorological Agency that a tsunami could hit Okinawa Prefecture as early as 6 a.m. [3]. But after checking tide levels at watch points in Japan and other countries, the agency said at 11:30 a.m. that this earthquake did not cause a tsunami in Japan [1:1].
After the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga in January 2022, which did change the tides in Japan [4], this tracking began. From then on, the Japan Meteorological Agency has made it a rule to tell people about changes in the tides when foreign volcanoes send out explosion plumes higher than 15,000 meters, even before the changes in the tides are confirmed [1:2].
The 725-meter-tall Ruang volcano is in Indonesia's Sangihe Islands. It erupted dramatically in 2002, sending up a 20,000-meter mass of ash and causing damage from pyroclastic flows [1:3]. Not long ago, on April 17, an earthquake sent ash 19,000 meters into the air and quickly shut down an international airport nearby [1:4]. People living on the nearby island said they heard loud booms, felt tremors, and saw flying rocks from the volcano still falling. They called it a disaster of a kind that had never been seen before [1:5].
Even though this eruption was a big problem, luckily it did not cause a storm that could have hurt Japan. But it's another reminder of how dangerous the area's many active volcanoes are and how important it is to keep an eye on them and send out quick warnings to keep people safe.
NHK News, April 30, 2024, インドネシアで大規模噴火 「日本への津波の影響なし」気象庁, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240430/k10014436691000.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Reuters, April 30, 2024, インドネシアのルアン火山が再び噴火、警戒最高レベルに, https://jp.reuters.com/economy/A5DBY245SZLJ3JKVROYL36PJ3M-2024-04-30/ ↩︎
FNN, April 30, 2024, インドネシアの火山で大規模噴火 日本への津波の影響調査 気象庁, https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/692772 ↩︎
The Asahi Shimbun, April 30, 2024, インドネシアの火山で大規模噴火 日本への津波の影響なしと気象庁, https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS4Y7HJ3S4YUTIL001M.html ↩︎