Geological Agency: Mount Dempo Changes Higher Forms In A Week

JAKARTA - Mount Dempo in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra (Sumsel)= experienced an inflation trend or a change of shape to be higher/larger in the past week, according to observations from the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).

Head of the Geological Agency Muhammad Wafid in Jakarta, Tuesday, said that the findings of inflation in the western sector of Mount Dempo indicated that there was still a significant source of pressure from shallow depths.

"Deformation monitoring using the GNSS dantiltmeter method shows the trend of mountain body inflation, meaning that pressure from shallow depths is still ongoing," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 19.

He explained that this phenomenon occurred in conjunction with the eruption of Mount Dempo on Tuesday at 07.48 WIB, which vomited an eruption column as high as 1,300 meters above the peak with a thick white tilted towards the south.

Observations of the volcanic monitoring post in Pagar Alam also noted that in the August 1 period, a number of seismic activity, including 40 earthquake gusts, two earthquakes were felt on the MMI I - II scale, 10 tectonic earthquakes were far away, and tremors continued with an amplitude of 0.5-10 mm, the dominant of 5 mm.

The Geological Agency ensures that the level of activity of Mount Dempo is still at Level II (Alert).

People, climbers, and tourists, are recommended not to approach the Marapi Crater of Mount Dempo within a radius of 1 kilometer, and stay away from the northern sector as far as 2 kilometers from the crater opening.

Wafid emphasized that the eruption of MountDempo is phreatic that can occur suddenly without being preceded by clear volcanic symptoms.

"That's why vigilance must be maintained because the potential for harmful materials and gas is still there," he said.

The Geological Agency will continue to monitor activities, assess hazards, and disseminate information to the public.

Information on the development of Mount Dempo activity can be accessed through the application of geological agencies as well as directly from the volcanic monitoring post in Pagar Alam City, South Sumatra.