Indonesia Volcano Eruption

25th October 2010 Indonesia on volcano eruption alert

Residents urged to leave designated danger zone as seismologists warn of pressure building up beneath smoking crater.  (Reuters)  Hazards  "Indonesian scientists have warned of a pressure build-up beneath Mount Merapi's lava dome, as authorities continue to evacuate tens of thousands of villagers to temporary shelters. An avalanche of rocks spilled down Merapi's slopes before dawn on Tuesday and gusts of ash rose 50 metres into the air as the mountain continued to rumble. Surono, a government volcanologist, said the greatest concern was pressure building behind a massive lava dome that has formed near the tip of the crater."  (Merapi Lava Dome 1982)  Geology and Tectonic Setting Merapi is a strato-volcano located in Central Java, Indonesia, about 30 km north of Yogyakarta city which has more than one million inhabitants. It is produced by subduction of the Australian plate under the Eurasian plate. The Indonesian archipelago resulted from complex and diverse tectonic processes (Simandjuntak & Barber, 1996, Wilson 1989, Hamilton, 1979).  Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia, erupting regularly since 1548. It is a typical andesitic Stratovolcano, historically producing effusive eruptions, which have become more explosive in recent history producing pyroclastic flows from collapsing lava domes. Merapi usually has poor gas content typically producing eruptions usually less than VEI 3 in size. Regional Map 26th October 2010 Aftermath of eruption http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11633213 The death toll following the eruption of Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has risen to 25,  officials say, amid fears of fresh eruptions. Experts told the BBC that the ash levels had subsided a little, but that their readings suggested there would be more volcanic activity soon. Thousands fled their homes on Tuesday as ash spewed out of the volcano, turning the landscape white. But many people refused to leave, and rescuers fear the death toll may rise. Current activity  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Merapi  BBC Report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11625154 Previous Events  On 13th May 2006 , the Alert Level was raised to the highest level 4, and about 4,500 people living near the volcano were evacuated. On 15th May pyroclastic flows traveled up to 4 km west.On 8th June, the lava-dome growth rate at Merapi was an estimated 100,000 cubic meters per day, with an estimated volume of 4 million cubic meters. (http://www.volcanolive.com/merapi.html) In late November of 1994, collapse of a lava dome at Merapi generated pyroclastic flows and surges that travelled as far as 5 miles (7.5 km) from the summit. The flows and surges killed 43 people. The plume associated with the dome collapse rose 6 miles (10 km) above the volcano. Over 6,000 people were evacuated. The eruption also started fires. (http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/oldroot/volcanoes/merapi/merapi.html) Activity History http://indahnesia.com/volcano/gunung_merapi/activity_history.php Related Links@ http://indonesiandisaster.blogspot.com/2010/10/overview-of-merapi-volcano-central-java.html

Earthquake Probability Mapping

USGS Geohazards

This web site was designed to display earthquake probabilities that are computed from the source model of the 2008 USGS-National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project (NSHMP) update.

Suggested Educational use:
Have students pair up or divide into groups and give each group a major US City.
Have student look up Lat and Longitude using Atlases? or online ..(Geographical Skill)
Have students look at the tectonic setting of the cities and based on this have the students suggest the likely probability of a) an earthquake occuring b) possible size eg small, medium or large.c) impact
Then direct them to the USGS Earthquake Probability Mapping site and then, have them run through a series of scenarios e.g. Probaility of a Magnitude 5 occuring within the next 10 years, 20 years and so on, print off their plots in colour(nice for posters).
Summary
Have student collate information and decide which US city has the greatest risk of a large magnitude earthquake (7.0) occuring within the next 10 years.
Extension Activity
Students could look at possible earthquake management schemes that could be implemented, for example retro-fitting supporting columns, prepareness schemes, active monitoring etc

Weblink @
http://geohazards.usgs.gov/eqprob/2009/index.php
http://geohazards.usgs.gov/eqprob/2009/documentation.php
Latitude and Longitude look up

Creating Virtual Field Trips using myTracks and Google My Maps.

Create virtual field trip using myTracks Android phone and linking to Google Maps.


Mytracks (Googles hidden gem)

MyTracks is an application for your Android^TM phone that enables you to record GPS tracks and view live statistics – such as time, speed, distance, and elevation – while hiking, biking, running or participating in other outdoor activities. Once recorded, you can share your tracks, upload them to Google Spreadsheets and visualize them on Google My Maps.



Need an android GPS enabled phone.

Basic instructions are given on the video, open myTracks application, once GPS  fix  is established click menu and your are of. As you move mytrack shows you GPS tracks position and elevation.

You can give your track a name, so it could be  a geology field trip, and add a description.

Once you have completed you track/field excursion, you can then send your maps to Google My Maps.



During your Track, you have the ability to geotag locations, which can be edited once you go to Google My Maps and enter the edit function.

Google my maps:-
Once you have created a map, you can:

• Add descriptive text, including rich text and HTML
• Embed photos and videos in your map
• Share your maps with others
• Collaborate with others New!
• Import KML or GeoRSS to your map New!
• Open it in Google Earth

At each marker point, you can add (formatted) information, pictures and links. This would be useful for descriptive points student could refer to prior to or after a field trip.

You can add photos to your map, as long as they are hosted online, use a service such as Google PicasaWeb to put your photos online.

I have found it best to use panoramio to store and embed into Google Maps, the reason being that Augmented Reality apps such as Layar can be used to view these photos in an "augmented way".

If you want to make this into "Augmented Reality Trip" (i.e by using the Layar app) be aware it can take several weeks for uploaded pictures to be vetted and made public.

Augmented Reality use in a Geology Field Trip.

What is augmented reality ?

Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with-, or augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality.

What tools are ?available

wikitude (wikipedia) and wikitude me
Layars
Brightkite
My tracks
Google Latitude

Example of augmented Reality and Fieldwork.
Image students armed with a wikitude or Layars enabled smartphone, they reach the first stop on their River or geological field trip.



The teachers says...." OK using your mobile GPS locate and mark on you maps/notes your location and use my track or google latitude to record place mark.

The teacher having previously created a Google maps or a wikipedia entry, with location/placemarks already recorded and information in the form of notes placed on the Google map.




"ok lets look at this location, what is the rock type here? if you are unsure refer to your Augemented Reality notes"....... at this points the student point their phones at the outcrop to see a Google layar showing location 1, clicking on this opens a set of explanatory notes or a set of clues, a close up photo of the rock, or even a youtube video the teacher recorded beforehand on a previous trip.

Augmented Reality on Google Maps using Junaio
Junaio  is a mobile and online platform that lets users create, explore and share information using augmented reality and location-based content. Users can place 3D objects, twitter messages or websites into the real world and then share their creations with friends through social networks.

This is an Augmented Reality field trip.

Article
Mark Rollins