Saturday Morning, Mount Semeru Erupted Again, Alert Status

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) several times experienced an eruption on Saturday morning and based on the officer's report that the eruption was still ongoing when the report was made at 08.31 WIB.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 08.31 WIB with visual eruptions not being observed. When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," said an officer at the Mount Semeru Observation Post, Liswanto, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, November 16.

The mountain, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, erupted for the first time at 02.37 WIB with an eruption height of about 500 meters above the peak or 4,176 meters above sea level.

The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the south and southwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 151 seconds.

Then Mount Semeru erupted again at 07.24 WIB with an eruption height of about 700 meters above the peak or 4,376 meters above sea level.

"The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the southwest. When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," he said.

The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted again at 08.03 WIB and 08.31 WIB. During the eruption, visual eruptions were not observed because they were covered in fog and the eruption was still ongoing when the report was made.

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 lava in small rivers that are tributaries from Besuk Kobokan.