Mount Merapi Launches Hot Clouds For 1.5 Kilometers

JAKARTA - Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java Province and Yogyakarta Special Region launched hot clouds of avalanches with a sliding distance of 1,500 meters (1.5 km) to the southwest on Monday, July 5 morning.

Head of the Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida said Merapi launched a hot cloud of avalanches at 08.48 WIB.

The hot avalanche cloud, according to him, was recorded on a seismogram with an amplitude of 52 mm and lasted for 124 seconds.

"The glide distance is 1,500 meters to the southwest," said Hanik through his official statement in Yogyakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, July 5.

During the observation period from 00.00 to 06.00 WIB, incandescent lava avalanches were also observed 20 times sliding from Mount Merapi with a maximum distance of 1,700 meters to the southwest and 9 times to the southeast as far as 1,500 meters.

The active volcano was also recorded to experience 82 avalanches with an amplitude of 3-19 mm for 11-127 seconds, 17 times a multi-phase earthquake with an amplitude of 3-26 mm for 3-9 seconds.

Next, nine gusts with an amplitude of 3-6 mm for 5-19 seconds, and two shallow volcanic earthquakes with an amplitude of 45-75 mm for 11-13 seconds.

Until now, BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at level III or standby.

The lava fall and hot clouds of Mount Merapi are expected to have an impact on the south-southwest sector, which includes the Yellow, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih rivers.

When an eruption occurs, the ejection of volcanic material from Mount Merapi is estimated to be able to reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain.