Celebrating Kelud, Volcano of the Month in a very ashy fashion! + Riddles

On February 14th Volcanocafe received the following email:

“My name is Mercuysimo, I live in Jogjakarta (approx. 200km from Kelud) right now. I’m interested in sending you some volcanic ash sample from Kelud eruption, because in Jogjakarta we suffer heavily of ashes rain (more than Merapi eruption we’ve experienced before). If these kind of sample still relevant to your sample needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thanks”

Attached were the following images taken on February 13th 2014 in the streets of Jogakarta.

Image sent to VC by mercurysimo

07.30 WIB

Image sent to VC by mercurysimo

13.00
 

09.00

Ash deposit material on the road after the rain stopped

As soon as the email arrived Chryphia got back to mercurysimo and asked him to send an ash sample to me at the museum Ars Electronica Center in Linz Austria. The sample arrived in my hands on tuesday and i started doing several microscopic images using the scopes in the BioLab. ( If you want to see which scopes are available there please check -> https://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/microscopic-images/  )

Late Tuesday evening i uploaded a gallery of Kelud ash images to VC: https://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/kelut/

Could not help myself and so i added a sneak preview in the comment thread announcing the complete gallery for later in the evening. This image is without the Copyright but whoever wants to use it, i beg you to ask me email: Spica308@gmail.com

Emails were sent back and forth, asking mercurismo where and when exactly he got a hold of the ashes. We also wondered if the ashes are different from Merapi ashes which sometimes rain down on Jogakarta. Here is his reply:

mercurysimo:
“The ashes from Kelud differences may be because of material contains or the distance between Merapi and Kelud are collected. I guess Merapi ashes felt rougher because sand or hard material rather than the ashes. This is the news which I refer to ( http://nasional.news.viva.co.id/news/read/483805-abu-vulkanik-kelud-bisa-dijadikan-campuran-adonan-semen), but It has been written in local language (Bahasa Indonesia).

Chronologically, almost midnight at 13th February 2014 several people heard the explosions, but most of us didn’t realize that sound come from the eruption. In the morning, at 14th February 2014 maybe around 4a.m. (but I’m not sure) it started to having ashes rain but only a little, my neighbor who woke up earlier than me just told that. Around 6a.m we found the sky turned to red, because the sun light cannot emit rays through the ashes that still on the air. The ashes rain showered more dense approx until 8a.m, and it still wend down until afternoon. In the morning, people stayed still in their home, but around 10a.m only few people went out but only a little seemed to be panic. It may be Jogjakarta citizen had experience before. At 3p.m in the same day, after the material totally stopped falling, I collected the sample and have been keeping it in dry and air sealed container. The thickness of the ashes are about 1-2cm, and it layered entire city on average. I think that I have ever attached some pics to this email address, would you please checked on my earlier mail. Success for your story! Thanks for asking anyway.

mercurysimo ”

Giggle translates the article as follows:

“Headline – Volcanic ash from the eruption were carried by the wind and spread quite harmless, especially for soil and plants.Volcanic ash was in fact also have a positive impact and benefits on the other side.

 

Not only useful as a plant fertilizer, but it can also improve soil physical properties and has the ability to bind water. In fact, volcanic ash can also be used as a grout mixture of construction materials are quite good, because it can produce up to 150 pounds of force per unit load. And this, is also likely to apply to the volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Kelud.

 

This was conveyed Budiyanto Gunawan, Vice Rector of Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (St. Louis), when presenting his research on the benefits of Kelud ash, soil laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Integrated Campus in St. Louis. Her research is also an activity of a series of events in St. Louis Disasters Abu Kelud, conducted since Tuesday, February 18, 2014.

 

According to Gunawan, benefits or positive effects of the volcanic ash known after he and his team conducted a study of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010. Thus, the history of Mount Merapi research results that will be repeated again in the volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Kelud.

 

“The difference is only one, it Kelud ash finer size than Merapi ash. Abu Kelud the size of the fine as clay or clay with a diameter below 0.002 millimeter,” he said, Monday, February 24, 2014

 

Gunawan also said that the ash Kelud it becomes more subtle because it further distances, which is about 200 kilometers more. In addition, because it is more subtle, the content of the sand is not carried on the wind. So from that, ash Kelud already has advantages over Mount Merapi ash utilization.

 

“Abu finer it easier to bind water. With so too, the time required for processing into fertilizer plants, and materials to improve soil properties will be shorter. Because he had split with other materials, such as sand,” he said.

 

Lecturer Agriculture UMY then continued in more detail the results of research that he got from the ashes of Mount Merapi. According to him, the positive influence of ash eruptions can be seen from three sides, namely in terms of chemistry, physics, and civil engineering. In terms of chemistry can be seen that the volcanic ash contains considerable mineral reserves.

 

“Even the possibility also contains magnesium and serum that could be a source of nutrients for agriculture. Yet before the ashes had been experiencing lapukan, namely the release of elements contained in the ash eruptions, so regardless of the primary element. Then the new elements that could used for agriculture, “he explained.

 

Then in terms of physics, it has the advantages of volcanic ash can improve the binding properties of the soil and water, or soil can improve adhesion. So that, if used on sandy soil will absorb water easily.

 

“While the civil engineering can be used for construction materials, as well as to make dough cement mixture. Mixed grout with this volcanic ash can reduce the material of the cement itself to 10 percent. Thereof and the results are pretty good too,” he said.

 

As for the study of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Kelud alone, according to Gunawan will first be asked to spread his ashes, physical properties of texture or particle diameter distribution of the soil, its ability to store water, and measuring the pH or acidity level.

 

“Is the pH around 7 or not. Because yesterday we measure its pH about 5 and a half, and that means it does not interfere with the plant. So we also hope, ashes of Kelud can also be used for things that are useful,” he said.

 

It is also the strengths of this Kelud ash from the volcanic ash that is more moist Kelud, because he is hygroscopic or easily absorb moisture environment. In addition, too much iron mineral content, and water content in dry conditions it contains can reach 8 to 10 percent.

 

“It means, Kelud ash can be used to fertilize the soil and agriculture. Abu Kelud also contains Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), Si (silicate), Al (aluminum), Ca (calcium), K (potassium), and P (phosphorus). So this ash when it becomes fertilizer, could be a long-term backup. And the plan, we will also make this Kelud ash as research material for the manufacture of fertilizer pellets, “he said. (Eh) “

More images from the Kelut microscopic image gallery:

Mganification: 630 fold

The magnification in this image is “only” 630 fold to provide the possibility to check the size of the grains and show that there were very few “bubbles” to be seen, which means the material had obviously been degassing before it erupted.

Magnifictaion 3800 fold

Zoomed in into one of the whitish particles in the earlier image. Please not that a SEM image does not show the original color of a sample. What is shown as white is a material which is more dense than the grayish particles and reflected the ray of electrons better than the surrounding material.

Magnifiction 7100 fold

One of the few particles which showed “bubbles”.

Magnification 1920 fold

Magnification 1380

Higher magnifications of the part of the sample to be found in the gallery.

Magnification 400 fold

Transmitted Ligh Microscope image.

100x

Reflected light microscope image. Using the reflected light microscope did not really make much sense because the ash clumped together and all which one could determine was a layer of beige material with brown speckles.

One of my favorite images:

The “nail” in the center reminds me of my mates favorite cookies called Haselnussröllchen.

SPICA

Magnifictaion: 2020 fold

Riddles

This week’s riddles turned out to be a tad equivoque, but I think all of you are of legal age. Last week a feverish Kelda stepped up to the challenge and wrangled out a stable second position. As usual there is one volcanologist, one volcanic term and 3 volcanoes hiding among the riddly brainwrecks. Good luck to all!

1. Geothermal divided + image (Clue, concentrate on the actual cat, and what part of the world is divided, there is a geothermal field at this cat, hard to come up with more clues for a volcano-cat) – Paka, Great Rift Valley, Kenya (No correct answer, 1 bonuspoint to Diana Barnes)
2. Mary in the village had a crater swimming butt (Clue, it should be spelt Mary in the village Butte, crater lake will lead to the answer, “Petrography”) – Howel Williams (Spica, 1pt). He wrote the books GEOLOGY OF THE MARYSVILLE BUTTES CALIFORNIA and PETROGRAPHY, he also worked extensively with Crater Lake.
3. Far from musical staggered arrangement – Echelon (Kelda, 2pt). Set of geologic features that are in an overlapping or a staggered arrangement
4. Here be lingering kisses and shrines (Clue, think about a slang word for long kisses, no 52, vowely long names, Island) – Necker Island, Hawai’i (No point awarded)
5. By water’s edge this famous car perished (Clue, think US car) – Soufrére Hills, Plymouth, Montserrat (Bobbi & Dinojura44, 1pt each).

Score board
20 Sissel 15 Kelda 10 Cryphia 10 Dinojura44 10 Evan Chugg 7 Dorkviking 4 Edward	4 Matt 4 Pyter 3 GeoLurking 3 Spica 2 Alison 2 Inannamoon	2 Lughduniense 2 UKViggen 1 Bobbi 1 DFM 1 KarenZ 1 Sa’Ke

SPICA (Text and Images) & CARL (Evil Rddler)