Dharma | 
11 12th, 2007| 
Every aspect of Bali’s geography and ecology is influenced by the towering range of volcanic peaks that dominate the island. They have created its landforms, periodically regenerated its soils, and helped to produce the dramatic dnwnpours which provide the island with life-giving water. The Balinese recognize these geophysical facts of life, and the island’s many volcanoes, lakes and springs are considered by them to be sacred.
Bali is continually being formed by volcanic action. The island lies over a major subduction zone where the Indo-Australian plate collides with the rigid Sunda plate — with explosive results. A violent eruption of Mt. Agung (3,142 m before the eruption; 3,014 m now) in 1963 showered the mountala’s upper slopes with ash and debris that slid off as mudflows, killing thousands of people and laying waste to irrigation networks and rice-fields that had been built up over many years. Mt Batur (1,717 m) to the west is also active, with greater frequency but less violence.
