Mount Semeru Erupted 3 Times, Spitting 800 Meter of Ash Column

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, has experienced three eruptions with an eruption height of 500 meters to 800 meters above the peak on Wednesday.

The first eruption occurred at 05.42 WIB with the height of the observed eruption column about 500 meters above the peak and the observed ash column was gray in color with a thick intensity towards the north and northwest. When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing.

"Then at 06.12 WIB, Mount Semeru erupted again with an observed eruption column height of about 800 meters above the peak or 4,476 meters above sea level (msl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Sigit Rian Alfian in a written report received at Lumajang.

According to him, the column of ash observed was white, gray to black with a thick intensity towards the west and northwest. This eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 17 mm and a duration of 92 seconds.

The third eruption occurred at 07.56 WIB with the height of the observed eruption column about 500 meters above the peak (4,176 m asl) and the ash column was observed to be white to gray with a thick intensity towards the west and northwest.

"The eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 118 seconds," he said.

He explained that Mount Semeru has a Level III (Alert) status with recommendations, the public should not carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 kilometers from the peak (center of the eruption).

"Outside this distance, the public is advised not to carry out activities within 500 meters from the river bank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because they have the potential to be hit by the expansion of the hot cloud and lava flow up to 17 kilometers from the peak," he said.

The public is also prohibited from carrying out activities within a radius of five kilometers from the crater or peak of Mount Semeru because they are prone to the danger of stone throwing (pijar).

He also appealed to residents to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava discharge, and lava along the river/valley streams upstream of the summit of Mount Semeru.

"Especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat and the potential for lava on small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan," he said.