Geological Agency: Hot Clouds Of Lava Still Occur On Mount Semeru

LUMAJANG - Head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Muhammad Wafid said hot clouds and incandescent lava avalanches still occur on Mount Semeru, but visually rarely being observed because they are constrained by the foggy weather.

"On Monday, June 10, 2024, at 00.42 WIB, incandescent lava avalanches were observed on Mount Semeru with a sliding distance of 2,500 meters towards Besuk Kobokan," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, June 10.

Visual observations at 00.00-06.00 WIB, he continued, showed that Mount Semeru's incandescent lava which had an altitude of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) occurred 28 times with a sliding distance of 1,000-2,500 meters towards Besuk Kobokan.

"This shows that the activity of eruptions, hot clouds, and incandescent lava avalanches is still happening. In addition to hot clouds, there is also the potential for lava flow considering the high rainfall on Mount Semeru," he said.

According to him, the accumulation of eruptive materials (uplets and lava flows) has the potential to become incandescent lava avalanches or hot clouds, then the material is deposited along the river that originates at the peak of Mahameru, potentially becoming lava when interacting with rainwater.

"In addition, the interaction of lava avalanche material deposits or hot clouds with high temperature with river water will have the potential for secondary eruptions," he said.

He explained that the number of recorded earthquakes showed that the seismic activity of Mount Semeru was still high, especially earthquake eruptions, avalanches, and harmonics.

The presence of deep volcanic and harmonic earthquakes that are still being recorded indicates that there is still supply below the surface of Mount Semeru along with the release of material to the surface as well as the process of buildup of materials produced by eruptions around Jonggring Saloko Crater.

"Based on the results of the analysis and evaluation, the level of activity of Mount Semeru remains at Level III or Alert with recommendations that are adjusted to the potential for the latest danger," he said.