Mount Semeru Erupts Again Tonight, A High Eruption Of 500 Meters

Mount Semeru erupted with an eruption height of 500 meters above the peak on Monday (17/2/2025) night. BETWEEN

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, experienced an eruption with an eruption as high as 500 meters above the peak.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru at 20.21 WIB with an eruption column height of about 500 meters above the peak or 4,176 meters above sea level (masl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Mukdas Sofian as reported by ANTARA, Monday, February 17.

According to the ash column, it was observed that it was white to gray with thick intensity to the northeast, then the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 122 seconds.

Based on officer data, the highest mountain on the island of Java was recorded to have experienced 15 eruptions on Monday from 01.25 WIB to 20.21 WIB, but 14 eruptions including visual eruptions were not observed because they were covered in fog.

He explained that 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 activity 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 should also not move within a radius of 3 kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because it is prone to the dangers of 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.