Alert Three, Mount Merapi Launches 8 Times Incandescent Lava Falls Wednesday Morning

The incandescent lava of Mount Merapi can be seen from Turi, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta, Wednesday (19/7/2023). (ANTARA)

YOGYAKARTA - Yogyakarta Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) said Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta on Wednesday morning emitted incandescent lava eight times with a sliding distance of 1,600 meters.

Head of BPPTKG Yogyakarta Agus Budi Santoso explained that based on observations from 00.00 to 06.00 WIB, the incandescent lava avalanche slid to the southwest or Bebeng River.

"Early eight incandescent lava avalanches with a maximum sliding distance of 1,600 meters to the southwest," Agus said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, August 2.

During this observation period, Mount Merapi also experienced 27 avalanches with an amplitude of 3-15 mm for 19.88-173.96 seconds, four multi-phase earthquakes with an amplitude of 3-7 mm for 6.32-7.88 seconds, and two shallow volcanic earthquakes with an amplitude of 47-50 mm for 10.68-11.12 seconds.

The smoke from the weak pressure crater above the peak of Merapi was observed to be white with a thin intensity and a height of 100 meters above the crater peak.

During the observation period Tuesday (1/8), at 18.00-24.00 WIB, Mount Merapi also twice launched incandescent lava avalanches with a maximum sliding distance of 1,600 meters to the southwest.

Based on the BPPTKG analysis for the period 21-27 July 2023, the morphology of the southwest dome of Merapi was recorded to have changed due to lava avalanche activity, while significant changes were not observed for the central dome.

Based on aerial photos on June 24, 2023, the volume of the southwest dome was measured at 2,465,900 cubic meters and the central dome was 2,346,500 cubic meters.

BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at Level III or Alert, which has been set since November 2020.

The potential danger of lava avalanches and hot clouds from avalanches could have an impact on Woro River up to three kilometers from the summit and Gendol River to five kilometers from the summit.

In addition, lava avalanches and hot clouds of avalanches can impact Boyong River up to five kilometers from the summit as well as Bedog, Krasak, and Bebeng rivers up to seven kilometers from the summit.

If there is an explosive eruption, then the ejection of volcanic material from Mount Merapi can reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain.