Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted Monday morning, sending clouds of hot gas and ash over nearby fields and villages. Thousands of people will be displaced by the eruption, and even more people may be displaced, depending on the lava flow.
Merapi is an active volcano in the "Ring of Fire"--a series of fault lines and active volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
Of course, there is at least one group that gets excited about volcanic activity--Volcano Adventure Travel, which allows you to accompany volcanologist John Search to some of the world's most active volcanos, including Mt. Merapi.
If you want to keep a safer distance from the volcanic activity, you can check out Mt. Merapi on Google Earth. Though the image was obviously taken a few years back, you can distinctly make out the active lava dome via these satellite images.
Let's hope this turns out to be a very small eruption.
Related Stories:
· Mount Merapi [maps.google.com]
· Eruption of Indonesia's Mount Merapi [ChannelNewsAsia]]]>