Expert: Mount Agung volcano eruption in Indonesia

“A large eruption of Bali’s restless Mount Agung volcano could be imminent, Indonesian officials have said as they called for 100,000 people to leave the area.” (The Guardian)

Don Baker, professor and volcano expert at McGill University

“Mount Agung volcano is dangerous and the evacuation of all of the people who might be in danger is a prudent move.The Agung volcano has had two recent, confirmed eruptions in 1843 and in 1963; it will erupt again. Both eruptions were large with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5 – similar to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption of 1991. Volcanoes similar to Mount Agung sometimes give warning signs such as those seen at Agung before large eruptions and the danger may be great, but we still do not have enough information to predict when, and how big, its next eruption will be.” —Don Baker

Professor Baker studies what causes volcanic eruptions and how to predict those eruptions. He investigates volcanic processes by performing experiments and computer simulations. He collaborates with geologists, physicists, chemists, and engineers to apply what we have learned in the lab to field studies of real volcanoes, such as Stromboli and Etna.

don.baker [at] mcgill.ca, cellphone available upon request. He’s available to do interviews from 8 AM to 8 PM. (English, French)