Semeru 11 Times Erupted with Eruption Height up to 1 Km

LUMAJANG - Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java (Jatim), has been recorded to have erupted 11 times with an eruption height of up to 1 kilometer above the peak.

The first eruption occurred at 00.29 WIB with an eruption height of 300 meters above the peak and the 11th eruption occurred at 07.34 WIB with an observed eruption column height of 700 meters above the peak.

"The highest eruption occurred during the eruption at 02.13 WIB, 05.07 WIB and 05.24 WIB with the height of the observed eruption column of about 1,000 meters above the peak," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Liswanto in a written report quoted by ANTARA, Friday, December 19.

Mount Semeru's activity is still dominated by volcanic earthquakes and every day the mountain with a height of 3,676 meters above sea level is always erupting.

Mount Semeru is at level III status or alert, so the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has provided a number of recommendations so that the public does not carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 km from the peak (center of the eruption).

Outside this distance, the public should not carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the river bank (river border) along the Besuk Kobokan because they have the potential to be hit by the expansion of the hot cloud and lava flow up to a distance of 17 km from the peak.

"The public also should not carry out activities within a radius of 5 km from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because they are prone to the danger of stone throwing (pijar)," he said.

The public is also asked to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava flows, and lahar along the river/valley streams upstream of the Semeru Volcano peak, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lahar on small rivers that are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.