Indonesia’s Most Active Volcano Erupts

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Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano, spews rocks and gas into Wednesday’s morning sky.

Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images

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Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images

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The 9,737-foot Mount Merapi volcano sits on the densely populated island of Java. No residents were evacuated Wednesday morning, but officials are closely monitoring the volcano’s activity.

Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images

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Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images

Mount Merapi’s 2010 eruption killed 347 people.

Juli Nugroho/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

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Juli Nugroho/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

Asia
PHOTOS: Indonesia’s Volcano Mount Sinabung Erupts, Spewing Ash Miles High

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, sits along the Pacific «Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the ocean. That location leaves the country prone to earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis.

In August, Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung, located on Sumatra Island, spewed a plume of ash several miles into the sky posing health and aviation risks for days.

A series of eruptions in 2018 at the Anak Krakatau volcano, which also triggered a deadly tsunami, caused serious damage and forced authorities to reroute flights.