A new eruption occurred at Merapi volcano, Indonesia at 4:30 pm on 28th October. Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre reported that a high level eruption was observed from the ground. The eruptions this week have been explosive which is different from that experienced in recent times. The eruption of Merapi volcano on Tuesday produced a vertical blast which reached a height of 1.5 km. This is the first time that this type of eruption has been observed at the volcano. Eruptions of Merapi volcano during the 7–19th centuries A.D. were more violent than the past hundred years, and produced explosion pyroclastic flows. In 2001 scientists predicted that the quiet of the 20th century would be broken by a larger explosive eruption in the coming decades. It is possible that the eruption of Merapi on Tuesday was precipitated by the magnitude 7.7 Sumatran earthquake a few hours earlier. The last eruption of Merapi volcano in 2006 occurred soon after a nearby tectonic earthquake.
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