Mount Semeru Several Eruptions With An Eruption Height Up To 1 Km

LUMAJANG - Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl), has experienced several eruptions with an eruption height of up to 1 kilometer above the peak today.

The first eruption occurred at 05.44 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 1 kilometer above the peak or 4,676 meters above sea level (masl).

"The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the southeast and south. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 160 seconds," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Mukdas Sofian in a written statement received in Lumajang, Antara, Thursday, February 20.

The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted again at 06.26 WIB with an eruptive column height observed about 800 meters above the peak or 4,476 mdpl. The ash column was observed gray with thick intensity to the east and southeast, and was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 160 seconds.

Then, at 07.13 WIB, Mount Semeru erupted again with an eruptive column height of about 1000 meters above the peak and a gray column of ash was observed with thick intensity to the east and southeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 23 mm and a duration of 134 seconds.

Furthermore, at 09.55 WIB there was another eruption, but the visual eruption was not observed because it was covered in fog and the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 121 seconds.

Mount Semeru erupted again at 10.32 WIB with an eruption column height observed about 800 meters above the peak and a gray column was observed with thick intensity to the east and southeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 113 seconds.

"There was another eruption at 11.31 WIB. The visual eruption was not observed and the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 115 seconds," he said.

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, he continued, 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 radius of 3 kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because they are prone to the dangers of throwing incandescent stones," he said.

In addition, he said, 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.