ABSTRACT
Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other country, with 130 active volcanoes and 76 significant eruptions recorded during historical times. Marapi volcano in Sumatra is the most active and has erupted about 50 times since its first recorded eruption in 1770. Merapi volcano, located in Central Java and which last erupted in 2007, was active throughout the Holocene. This frequent and widespread volcanic activity results from the subduction of the Indian Ocean crust underneath the Asian Tectonic Plate. The resultant island arc extends some 3000km from north-west Sumatra eastwards to the Banda Sea.
