A volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali erupted Monday, belching a plume of ash 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) high as bright orange lava cascaded from its summit.

Last week, the tropical island temporarily shuttered the airport and grounded hundreds of flights after Mount Agung erupted.

Indonesia's geological agency said the latest eruption of Agung about 9:00 pm local time (1300 GMT) lasted more than seven minutes and incandescent lava descended some two kilometres from its crater.

There is a four kilometre no-go zone around Agung.

It remained on alert level, the second highest danger warning, while the holiday island's Ngurah Rai airport stayed open.

An earlier eruption in November stranded thousands of tourists and pounded Bali's lucrative tourism industry, the backbone of its economy.

Ash is dangerous for planes because it makes runways slippery and can be sucked into their engines.

Agung, about 70 kilometres from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been erupting periodically since it rumbled back to life last year.

Tens of thousands of locals fled to evacuation centres after last year's activity.

The last major eruption of Agung in 1963 killed around 1,600 people.

Indonesia is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a vast zone of geological instability where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent quakes and major volcanic activity.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The ancient giants of Yosemite, under a billion stars
Yosemite Valley, United States (AFP) June 30, 2018
The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, at the heart of California's Yosemite National Park, is home to 500 of the towering trees - many at least 2,000 years old, having sprouted around the time of Jesus Christ. One of the world's 65 remaining natural sequoia groves, and the largest in Yosemite, Mariposa Grove reopened in June, three years after the start of a $40 million restoration project to protect the ancient giants for future generations. The oldest sequoias can live for more than 3,000 yea ... read more