Mount Semeru Erupts Four Times On Early Saturday

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) on the border of Lumajang and Malang regencies, East Java, was recorded four times as an eruption with an eruption height of 400 meters to 700 meters above the peak of Semeru (Mahameru) on Saturday, March 8, at dawn.

The first eruption occurred at 01.04 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 400 meters above the peak and a column of ash was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the southwest.

"The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 102 seconds," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Ghufron Alwi in a written report, quoted by Antara.

The second eruption occurred at 01.26 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 500 meters above the peak or 4,176 mdpl. The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the southwest and the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 119 seconds.

One hour later, the highest mountain on the island of Java erupted again at 02.29 WIB and the height of the eruption column was observed to be about 700 meters above the peak or 4,376 meters above the peak.

"The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the southwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 106 seconds," he said.

The fourth eruption occurred at 04.56 WIB with an eruptive column height observed about 500 meters above the peak. The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the south. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 100 seconds.

He said Mount Semeru was still on alert status, so the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) provided a number of recommendations, namely that people were 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).

Then outside of that distance, 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 are also not allowed to move within a radius of three kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because they are prone to the dangers of throwing incandescent stones," 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 peak 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.