Abu Pekat Membubung dari Kawah Bromo

Liputan 6 - Minggu, 30 Januari

Liputan6.com, Probolinggo: Aktivitas vulkanik Gunung Bromo di Kabupaten Probolinggo, Jawa Timur, masih meningkat. Sabtu (29/1) petang, abu tebal berwarna cokelat pekat masih keluar dari kawah gunung. Abu tebal yang membubung ke udara setinggi sekitar 800 meter itu mengarah ke wilayah utara, yakni Pasuruan dan Probolinggo. Sehari sebelumnya, abu tebal sempat mengarah ke wilayah Jember.

Meski menunjukkan peningkatan aktivitas vulkanik, kawasan di sekitar Gunung Bromo masih didatangi sejumlah wisatawan lokal serta mancanegara. Sementara itu, data seismograf menunjukkan, aktivitas vulkanik Gunung Bromo masih mengalami gempa tremo yang terjadi terus menerus dengan amplitudo 28 hingga 38 milimeter. Hingga kini status Gunung Bromo masih tetap siaga dan belum bisa dipastikan sampai kapan erupsi akan berakhir.(BOG)

http://id.news.yahoo.com/lptn/20110129/tid-abu-pekat-membubung-dari-kawah-bromo-e390447.html

U.S. town demolished over lead contamination

Reuters – A sign on the youth soccer field in Picher, Oklahoma April 18, 2006. For 23 years now, the 1,500-plus …

– Fri Jan 28, 11:38 am ET

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters Life!) – Most of its residents left, the school closed, the city government was disbanded and starting this week nearly every commercial building in Picher, Oklahoma, will be demolished.

But the owner of the last-remaining open business in Picher, which has been vacated over the years because of lead contamination, is not ready to go.

"It's not time for me to leave yet," said Gary Linderman, owner of Old Miner's Pharmacy in what is left of central Picher, located in the northeast corner of the state.

"I have an obligation to people. We are all creatures of habit and closing might throw them off."

In addition to providing prescriptions, the pharmacy is the only place left in town to buy snack food, beverages, over-the-counter medicine and other necessities.

Linderman declined a buyout from the federal government, which declared Picher a hazardous waste site in 1981 and has bought out about 900 homeowners and businesses. Crews demolished a funeral home, restaurant, thrift shop, apartment building and other structures this week, with more to come.

Besides lead contamination, Picher has suffered in recent years from sinkholes from old mines that threaten to swallow the community. Three years ago, a tornado destroyed about 150 homes, chasing more people away.

Picher's population has shrunk from 1,640 in 2000 to only a handful of residents today. The school district and city government dissolved in 2009 and the post office closed.

The town had more than 14,000 residents in the 1920s.

Because of historic significance, a church, mining museum, auction house and a building where mining equipment was sold will remain standing, though they are abandoned. Linderman's building will be surrounded by vacant lots in what used to be downtown, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm a farm boy," he said. "I'm used to the wide open spaces."

(Writing by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Mary Wisniewski)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110128/lf_nm_life/us_town_demolished

Japan volcano Mount Shinmoedake, scene of Sean Connery 'You Only Live Twice' James Bond film, erupts

ANALI KHOSLA MULLANY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Thursday, January 27th 2011, 3:08 PM
Updated: Thursday, January 27th 2011, 9:57 PM

Kyodo News/AP

Volcanic ash billows from Mount Shinmoedake in the Kirishimna range on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu on Thursday.

Everett Collection

In the "You Only Live Twice", the fictional terror group SPECTRE's headquarters were located within Shinmoedake.

Move over, Mount Fuji, another Japanese volcano is vying for fame.

Mount Shinmoedake, part of the Kirishima range, has dramatically erupted on the island of Kyūshū in southern Japan.

Sky News points out that the ash-spewing behemoth was featured in the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice", starring Sean Connery as the infamous British agent and international ladies' man.

In the 1967 espionage movie, the fictional villainous organization SPECTRE and its secret rocket base were headquartered inside the Mount Shinmoedake volcano.

According to Sky News, the 007-connected volcano’s last eruption occurred in 2008.

CNN reports that the Mount Shinmoedake volcano has spewed smoke and ash as high as 9,800 feet in the air.

David Dexter lives in Miyazaki City, which lies about 70 kilometers from Mount Shinmoedake. He told the News he experienced "quite a lot of continuous ground shake" on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

Dexter says he felt another strong eruption on Thursday.

"The force of that initial blast hit the house hard," he said.

Matthew Bednarik, who lives approximately 60 kilometers away from the eruption site, says residents who live close to the Mount Shinmoedake volcano are experiencing a sulfur odor in the air and have to deal with fallout clean up.

Bednarik noted that "the Kirishima area is very popular among hikers" and that nearby hot spring resorts "attrack busloads of people on the weekends."

A cloud of ash rises from Japan's Shinmoedake volcano. (Satou).

Even at his distance from the eruption, Dexter said he had smelled sulfur and seen "a thin layer of ash on the car and front door steps."

Billowing ash from the Shinmoedake volcano. (Satou).

Hitosi Satou lives near the volcano, in Miyakonojō. He told the News that volcanic ash fallout had settled near his house.

Ash from the Mount Shinmoedake volcanic eruption in Japan. (Satou).

Satou shot several videos of the fiery spectacle, showcasing stunning explosions of lava, bright-red in the night darkness, and billowing plumes of smoke unfurling beneath a clear blue sky.

Click below to view Satou's impressive videos.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/01/27/2011-01-27_mount_shinmoedake_scene_of_sean_connery_you_only_live_twice_james_bond_movie_eru.html

Japan volcano spews ash, flights cancelled

AFP/Jiji Press – Smoke rises from Mt. Shinmoedake in the Kirishima mountain range in Kagoshima prefecture, in Japan's …

– Fri Jan 28, 3:55 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Train and flight services to Miyazaki in southwestern Japan were suspended on Friday as the erupting Shinmoedake volcano spewed columns of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky.

The 1,421-metre (4,689-foot) volcano in the Kirishima range between Kagoshima and Miyazaki has been belching smoke and ash into the air since late Wednesday, according to the Japan MeteorologicalAgency.

The eruption prompted All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines to cancel a number of flights to and from Miyazaki while JR Kyushu Railway Company also suspended train services in the affected area.

In Takaharu town near the volcano, 31 people spent the night at an evacuation centre on Thursday.

Television footage showed the volcano billowing grey smoke into the sky, while residents used shovels to clear ash from streets.

There were no reports of damage or injuries, police said.

The Kagoshima observatory raised its five-scale warning level on the volcano from two to three, restricting access to the entire mountain, officials said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110128/wl_asia_afp/japanvolcano_20110128085545

Volcanic lightning pictured as Mount Shinmoedake volcano in Japan erupts

Volcanic lightning is seen above Mount Shinmoedake in Japan as it erupts. It is not clear why bolts of lightning are sometimes seen within erupting volcanoes. One theory is that that the spewing magma bubbles or particles of volcanic ash are themselves electrically charged, and by their motion create separately charged areas...

Picture: REUTERS

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8288283/Volcanic-lightning-pictured-as-Mount-Shinmoedake-volcano-in-Japan-erupts.html

Shinmoedake volcano erupts in Japan in 52 years

Jan 28, 2011 Olympia de Costa

Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range in the Southern Japanese island of Kyushu erupted after 52 years.

For the first time in 52 years, Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range erupted spewing ash as high as 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) into the air. Shinmoedake is a volcano on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.

The eruption started on January 26, 2011 at 7:30 AM and it is said to be the strongest eruption since 1959, spewing smoke up to 2.5 km in the air and throwing volcanic bombs up to 1.5 km. Giant ash clouds pouring out of the volcano prompted the Tokyo VAAC to issue an ash warning for places above 25,000 feet (7.6 kilometers) and as a result of the eruption, an area of 2 km around the volcano has been evacuated.

The volcano eruption is reported to have resulted in the cancellation of more than 60 flights and also the evacuation of homes. The ashfall also prompted the closing of some nearby highways and rail lines.

Japan’s weather agency issued a level 3 alert for Shinmoedake and Sakurajima volcano to the south. Though the Japan Meteorological Agency authorities did not expect the volcano to threaten lives or property some residents in these areas have already voluntarily evacuated. It is reported that the eruption did not pose a threat to nearby cities, and due to the lack of magma movement beneath the surface volcanologists believe that a major eruption is not imminent and it is believed that it won't lead to a large-scale eruption.

Kirishima Volcano

The term “Kirishima Volcano” is a generic term for quaternary volcanoes located in Southern Kyushu, around the border between Kagoshima and Miyazaki. There are about 20 volcanoes and Shinmoedake is one of the active volcanoes among them.

A little bit of history

Numerous eruptions have been recorded in the mount Kirishima range since 742 and very strong eruptions are said to have happened in 788, 1716 and 1717. In 1959 there was a phreatic explosion, and then minor eruption occurred in 1991 after notable earthquakes. The eruption changed its style from phreatic explosion to phreatomagmatic explosion and then to magmatic eruption. There was also some minor eruption in August 2008. This volcano Shinmoedake is also said to have been featured in the James Bond movie, 'You Only Live Twice'.

Volcanoes in Japan

Japan is located at the Junction of four tectonic plates: Pacific, Philippine, Eurasian and North American. It is believed that ten percent of the active volcanoes in the world are in Japan.

Sources: http://outreach.eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eqvolc/201101_shinmoe/eng/

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=48945&src=eorss-nh

/japanese-volcano-kirishima-eruption-110126-1020/

Read more at Suite101: Shinmoedake volcano erupts in Japan in 52 years http://www.suite101.com/content/shinmoedake-volcano-erupts-in-japan-in-52-years-a339194#ixzz1CQszvlkB

http://www.suite101.com/content/shinmoedake-volcano-erupts-in-japan-in-52-years-a339194

Banjir Bandang landa Jeddah, 4 Korban tewas

Kamis, 27/01/2011 22:44 WIB
Banjir Bandang landa Jeddah, 4 Korban tewas
Aprizal Rahmatullah - detikNews

arabnews

Jeddah - Banjir banda melanda pemukiman warga di Jeddah, Arab Saudi. Akibatnya, 4 korban dipastikan tewas.

Seperti dikutip dari arabnews.com, Kamis (27/1/2011), pemerintah setempat tidak menyediakan rincian lebih lanjut tentang korban tewas dan luka akiban luapan banjir. Ratusa petugas diterbangkan untuk mengevakuasi korban.

Penjaga Masjid Suci Raja Abdullah mendesak pihak berwenang untuk mengambil tindakan segera untuk mengatasi masalah yang disebabkan oleh hujan lebat. Ia juga memperingatkan siapa saja yang lalai karena kelalaiannya dalam insiden ini untuk dihukum.

Gubernur Mekah Pangeran Khaled Al-Faisal mengatakan, langkah cepat yang diambil untuk mengalirkan air banjir di perintah Raja Abdullah.

(ape/ape)

http://www.detiknews.com/read/2011/01/27/224438/1556226/10/banjir-bandang-landa-jeddah-4-korban-tewas?9911012

Cuaca di Jember Mendung Akibat Abu Vulkanik Gunung Bromo

Kamis, 27/01/2011 09:36 WIB
Cuaca di Jember Mendung Akibat Abu Vulkanik Gunung Bromo
Rois Jajeli - detikSurabaya

File detiksurabaya.com

Surabaya - Gunung Bromo masih terus menyemburkan abu vulkanik. Bahkan, abu dari gunung eksotik di Probolinggo itu, sampai pagi ini mengganggu aktifitas warga di kawasan Jember dan Bondowoso.

Seperti yang disampaikan Yusri (32), warga Wuluhan Jember. Yusri menceritakan, abu vulkanik Gunung Bromo itu masih tampak di sekitar rumahnya. Bahkan, teras rumahnya yang sudah disapu, ternyata 30 menit kemudian muncul lagi dengan ketebalan tipis.

"Sampai sekarang masih terasa. Pagi tadi saya menyapu teras, sekitar setengah jam lagi ternyata sudah menumpuk lagi," ujar Yusri, saat berbincang-bincang dengan detiksurabaya.com, Kamis (27/1/2011).

Yusri menerangkan, atap rumahnya juga tak terlihat merah lagi, namun terlihat putih kecoklat-coklatan.

"Saya keluar dari rumah mengendarai sepeda motor. Baru saya pakir beberapa menit, sudah terlihat bintik-bintik abu menempel di kendaraan saya," tuturnya.

Menurutnya, banyak warga sekitar yang bepergian ke luar rumah dengan mengenakan masker, tapi juga ada yang tidak. Dia mengaku matanya terasa pedih, ketika berkendara tidak menggunakan kaca mata. Sedangkan, bagi pengendara yang helmnya ada tutup kacanya, matanya tidak terlalu pedih.

"Nggak ada imbauan dari petugas kecamatan. Ya kesadaran masyarakat sendiri menggunakan masker," ujar Yusri, yang rumahnya jaraknya sekitar 30 Km dari Kota Jember.

Ia menambahkan, hingga saat ini cuaca di kampung halamannya terlihat mendung, dan sinar matahari tak sepenuhnya bersinar. "Ya mendung, tapi bukan mendung awan. Mendungnya karena abu dari Gunung Bromo dan terlihat petang. Mungkin abu dari Gunung Bromo ini terbawa angin," jelasnya.

Dampak abu Gunung Bromo juga terasa di Bondowoso. Ahmad Erfan (29) warga Dabasah Kecamatan Bondowoso ini mengaku, sejak dua hari lalu hingga sekarang masih terkena dampak abu Bromo.

"Sejak dua hari lalu sangat terasa sekali. Kalau pagi ini sudah akan berkurang. tapi sepeda motor atau kendaraan baru diparkir beberapa menit sudah kelihatan abu yang seperti abu gosok," ujar Erfan.

(bdh/bdh)

http://surabaya.detik.com/read/2011/01/27/093632/1555509/475/cuaca-di-jember-mendung-akibat-abu-vulkanik-gunung-bromo?y991101465