Mount Semeru Erupts Again, Causes Volcanic Ash As High As 700 M

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java erupted again with volcanic ash as high as 700 meters above the peak or 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) on Saturday morning.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 08.15 WIB. The height of the eruption column was observed about 700 meters above the peak," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Ghufron Alwi quoting Antara.

He said the ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the southwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 119 seconds.

Previously, the mountain erupted at 06.33 WIB, but the eruption visual was not observed because it was covered in fog. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 106 seconds.

Based on seismic observations on Friday (8/11), the activity of Mount Semeru was dominated by earthquake eruptions which were recorded 85 times with an amplitude of 11-23 mm, three avalanches, 11 gusts and two distant tectonic earthquakes.

Mount Semeru is still on alert status, so the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) provides a number of recommendations, namely that people are prohibited from carrying out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as eight kilometers 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 13 kilometers from the summit.

"People are also not allowed to move within a three-kilometer radius of the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because they are prone to the danger of throwing stones (lights)," he said.

In addition, the public also needs to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava avalanches, and rain lava along rivers/valleys that originate at the top of Mount Semeru, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for rain lava in small rivers that are tributaries from Besuk Kobokan.