Bali’s Mount Agung erupted in 1963 in a tragedy where more than 1,600 people died. The 1963 Agung eruption was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of the 20th Century, making it a vitally important site for scientific study. As with Agung appearing to reawaken from its 50-year slumber, a team led UK scientists have finally cracked the secrets of Bali’s notorious volcanos.
European Space Agency (ESA) satellite imagery has helped unlock the link between Agung and its neighbour, Mount Batur, found 10 miles (18 km) away.
There is a magmatic system that is maybe shared between the two volcanos
Dr Fabien Albino
Scientists were studying the volcano as it awoke from a 50-year sleep to spew ash into the atmosphere for several weeks in 2017.
Dr Fabien Albino, from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, and the study’s lead author, explains how they found the mountains’ magma can move horizontally as well as vertically.
Dr Albino said: “Thanks to the ground information data, we found magma was moving before the eruption, not below the Agung volcano, but between the volcanos.
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Bali volcano: Agung Batur share a magma chamber (Image: Getty)
Bali volcano: 10 miles of tunnels connect Agung and Batur's plumbing system (Image: Getty)
“So it was really interesting to see there was an intrusion, there was moving magma moving in-between the two volcanos, which is exactly the location of the seismic activity.
“That is why the study concluded there is potentially a magmatic system that is maybe shared between the two volcanos.
And the study has profound implications for eruption forecasting.
“We are measuring the deformation and seismicity of the volcano and try to understand better how a volcano
