Mount Sinabung Volcano Eruption

After remaining quiet for nearly 400 years, Mount Sinabung erupted early Sunday morning. According to the New York Daily News, one death was reported and nearly 10000 people have been evacuated. The death was reported to have been caused by respiratory problems. According to the Volcanism blog, residents saw thick black smoke, with small stones and sulfur being produced by the volcano. All those living withing a 6 KM radius of Mount Sinabung have been requested to leave the area.

History of the Mount Sinabung Volcano
Mount Sinabung is a stratovolcano, of the similar type as Mount St. Helens in the United States. Stratovolcanos can remain dormant for long periods of time, and then they can suddenly erupt with little or no warning. Sometimes smaller eruptions are precursors to much larger eruptions. The volcano at Mount Sinabung erupted in 1600. The Mount Sinabung Volcano may have had small eruptions in 1881 again in 1912, but those eruptions were not recorded and confirmed officially.

The volcano just became active a day ago. The volcano started rumbling with an increase in seismic activity. This gave officials little lead time to prepare for the impending eruption, yet they were able to get most of the residents in the area shelter, extra food, and blankets.

Will the Sinabung Volcano Erupt again?
Sunday's eruption of Mount Sinabung was classified as a minor eruption, with ash and smoke reaching about 3000 feet into the air. Some lave was also seen flowing down the sides of the volcano. Since the volcano has been quiet for so long, scientists are uncertain what the stratovolcano at Mount Sinabung will do next.

Where is the Mount Sinabung Volcano?
Mount Sinabung is located in North Sumatra, which is a part of northern Indonesia. The volcano is 7000 feet tall and rises up out over the surrounding terrain. Region features beautiful mountains of volcanic origin, and in recent years has become a popular tourist attraction. The volcanoes are formed by subduction zones where one tectonic place passed beneath another. This creates a tremendous amount of heat and pressure beneath the earth, and eventually it bursts for to the surface.

Source: NY Daily New, Wikipedia