Mount Merapi Ejects 5,000 Meters Of Hot Clouds And Incandescent Lava

YOGYAKARTA - The Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) has confirmed that the activity of Mount Merapi on the border of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java has not yet endangered the people living on the slopes of the mountain.

"The current condition or activity of Merapi has not endangered the population outside the area that we have determined the potential danger to be," said Head of the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida during a virtual press conference attended in Yogyakarta, Antara, Thursday, Thursday. 10 March.

As reported by Mount Merapi, issued a series of hot clouds avalanches (APG) a maximum of 5,000 meters and pointing to the southeast on Wednesday, March 9 from 23.18 WIB and continued until Thursday morning.

In addition, 7 times incandescent lava was observed with a maximum sliding distance of 1,800 meters to the southwest.

According to Hanik, the series of Merapi activities have not required local residents to evacuate. If there is a slide of material, both incandescent lava and hot clouds, he said, it is estimated that it will still flow through the rivers upstream of Merapi.

"The community does not need to evacuate, but we will continue to monitor the progress of this activity and if there is a significant one, we will evaluate it," he said.

He said BPPTKG still maintains the status of Merapi at level III or standby. The radius of the potential danger, according to Hanik, is still in accordance with the recommendations set by the previous BPPTKG.

In the southeastern sector, the potential danger of lava avalanches and hot clouds includes the Woro River for 3 kilometers and the Gendol River for 5 kilometers. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions in the event of an explosive eruption can reach 3 kilometers from the summit.

Hanik explained that a series of avalanches of hot clouds that repeatedly slid from Merapi from 9-10 March 2022 were triggered by the collapse of the lava dome in the center of the crater due to the accumulation of magma pressure that continues to increase.

According to him, the lava dome in the middle of the crater of the peak of Merapi continues to grow, but because its position is right in the middle, it is relatively stable until the accumulated magma experiences freezing and loading on the surface.

"Once there is continuous pressure, there is an accumulation of pressure so there is instability. The instability is on the southeast side so that once there is an opening, there will be continuous hot clouds like this," he said.

So far, hot clouds and avalanches of Merapi's lava mostly slide through the southwest lava dome due to its unstable position on the slopes of the southwest side of Merapi's peak or above the lava left over from the 1997 eruption.

"So far, activity has been on the southwest side (lava dome) as soon as there is a supply of magma and then it immediately slides," said Hanik Humaida.

Previously, BPPTKG observed an increase in the seismic activity of Mount Merapi on Wednesday night.

BPPTKG recorded 5 hot cloud avalanches to the southeast on March 9 at 23:18, 23:29, 23:38, 23:44, 23:53 WIB with a maximum glide distance of 5 km.

Next, on March 10, 2020, BPPTKG recorded 11 hot cloud events to the southeast, namely at 00.22, 00.54, 01.00, 01.22, 01.35, 01.59, 02.07, 02.43, 02.58, 03.00, and 04.43 WIB with a maximum glide distance of 2 km.