Mount Semeru Erupts With A Capai Eruption Height Of 2 Km

LUMAJANG - Mount Semeru which has an altitude of 3,676 meters above the surface (masl) has erupted again with an eruption height of up to 2 kilometers.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 01.38 WIB. The height of the eruption column was observed to be about 2,000 meters above the peak (5676 meters above sea level)," said Semeru Volcano Observation Post Officer Ghufron Alwi as reported by ANTARA, Monday, January 8.

According to him, the ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the south. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 23 mm and a duration of 146 seconds.

For observations of the seismicity of Mount Semeru in the period Monday at 00.00-06.00 WIB, 18 earthquakes were recorded with an amplitude of 11-22 mm, one hot cloud earthquake with an amplitude of 20 mm.

Mount Semeru also experienced five avalanche earthquakes with an amplitude of 5-10 mm, six earthquake gusts with an amplitude of 4-8 mm, two harmonics with an amplitude of 3-5 mm, and two distant tectonic earthquakes with an amplitude of 12-18 mm.

" Visually, the volcano is clearly visible. Observed the smoke from the main crater is white with a thin to moderate intensity with a height of about 200-500 meters from the summit. The weather is sunny to cloudy, the wind is weak to the southwest," he said.

The status of Mount Semeru is still at level III or alert, so people are prohibited from carrying out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 km from the summit (the center of the eruption).

Beyond that distance, people are not allowed to carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the riverbank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because it has the potential to be affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 km from the summit.

"People are also not allowed to move within a 5 km radius of the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because it is prone to the danger of throwing stones (pijar)," he said.

Officers also appealed to the public to be aware of the potential for hot clouds of avalanches (APG), lava avalanches, and lahars along rivers/valleys that originate at the peak of the Semeru Volcano, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat as well as the potential for lahars in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.