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Mud-Engulfed Village. Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic. Mud from Indonesia 's Lusi volcano engulfs the village of Sidoarjo, East Java (see map), in 2008.
Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
Mud from Indonesia's Lusi volcano engulfs the village of Sidoarjo, East Java (see map), in 2008.
The world's biggest and fastest growing mud volcano, Lusi sprang to life in May 2006, and it and may continue to spew hot mud for another 26 years, according to a new study. Lusi could expel the equivalent of 56,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of mud before it finally simmers down, say scientists from the U.K.'s Durham University.
(Related pictures: "Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcano Erupts.")
Mud volcanoes, which can appear on land or underwater, form when underground layers of silt or clay become pressurized either by tectonic activity or by a buildup of hydrocarbon gases.
To calculate Lusi's future mud flow, the team observed water pressure in a borehole near the volcano and combined that data with knowledge of the rocks' properties and mudflow volumes since 2006. (See pictures of Indonesia's mud volcanoes.)
"The calculation should enable a better assessment of the final impact of the disaster and gives the inhabitants of [East Java] an indication of how long they can expect to be affected by mud from the volcano," study leader Richard Davies said in a statement.
In the nearly five years since Lusi reawakened, villages have disappeared under the mud, which is 60 feet (18 meters) deep in places, according to a 2008 article in National Geographic magazine. Thirteen people have died and at least 10,000 families have been forced from their homes, according to the Durham University scientists.
The mud volcano study appeared in March in theJournal of the Geological Society.
Published March 4, 2011
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/volcano-profile/
Photograph by Adek Berry, AFP/Getty Images
Efforts to stop the Lusi mud volcano, pictured in May 2010—including plugging its crater with concrete balls—have so far failed.
Meanwhile, trucks and backhoes work relentlessly to contain the damage, fortifying dikes against the 600,000 barrels of mud that continue to surge out each day, National Geographic magazine reported in 2008.
"Nothing can stop it," Sumitro, a store-owner in Porong District, told the magazine. "Not technology, not the supernatural."
(Explore an interactive of the world's most dangerous volcanoes.)
Published March 4, 2011
VOLCANO
Photograph by Dimas Ardian, Getty Images
Indonesian workers drop chained concrete balls to help stem Lusi's mudflow—ultimately to no avail—in March 2007.
As of 2008 the catastrophe had cost Indonesia $3.7 billion dollars—nearly one percent of its GDP—according to an International Monetary Fund estimate.
(See pictures: "America's Ten Most Dangerous Volcanoes.")
Published March 4, 2011
Volcanoes are awesome manifestations of the fiery power contained deep within the Earth. These formations are essentially vents on the Earth's surface where molten rock, debris, and gases from the planet's interior are emitted.
When thick magma and large amounts of gas build up under the surface, eruptions can be explosive, expelling lava, rocks and ash into the air. Less gas and more viscous magma usually mean a less dramatic eruption, often causing streams of lava to ooze from the vent.
The mountain-like mounds that we associate with volcanoes are what remain after the material spewed during eruptions has collected and hardened around the vent. This can happen over a period of weeks or many millions of years.
A large eruption can be extremely dangerous for people living near a volcano. Flows of searing lava, which can reach 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,250 degrees Celsius) or more, can be released, burning everything in its path, including whole towns. Boulders of hardening lava can rain down on villages. Mud flows from rapidly melting snow can strip mountains and valleys bare and bury towns. Ash and toxic gases can cause lung damage and other problems, particularly for infants and the elderly. Scientists estimate that more than 260,000 people have died in the past 300 years from volcanic eruptions and their aftermath.
Volcanoes tend to exist along the edges between tectonic plates, massive rock slabs that make up Earth's surface. About 90 percent of all volcanoes exist within the Ring of Fire along the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
About 1,900 volcanoes on Earth are considered active, meaning they show some level of activity and are likely to explode again. Many other volcanoes are dormant, showing no current signs of exploding but likely to become active at some point in the future. Others are considered extinct
Published March 4, 2011
Photograph from AFP/Getty Images
A dyke at the edge of the Lusi mud volcano is seen from the air in May 2008.
Though the worst of the mud eruptions may be over in 26 years, the volcano's mud will likely flow at lower rates for thousands of years, according to the new study.
(See "Volcano Spews Lava, Gas in Indonesia; 11,000 Evacuated.")