Context

Mount Ruang erupted several times in Indonesia’s outermost region forcing hundreds to evacuate.

• The alert level for the volcano, which has a peak of 725 metres above sea level, was raised from three to four, the highest possible level in the four-tiered system.

About Mount Ruang

Mount Ruang is a stratovolcano located in the North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia prone to regular volcanic activity.

• Stratovolcanoes are conical and relatively steep-sided due to the formation of viscous, sticky lava that does not flow easily. 
• Stratovolcanoes often produce explosive eruptions due to gas build-up in the magma.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Indonesia

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation which experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

• Ring of Fire is an arc where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Pacific Ring of Fire/Circum-Pacific Belt

The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt is a string of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake-sites which runs along the Pacific Ocean. 

• It is a semicircle or horse shoe in shape and stretches nearly 40,250 kilometers. 

• Plate Convergence in the Ring of Fire: The Ring of Fire traces the meeting points of numerous tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates, which all encircle the large Pacific Plate.
• It runs through 15 more countries including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines.