Monday Night, Mount Semeru Eruption Again

Mount Semeru erupted with an eruption as high as 1,000 meters above the peak on Monday (17/3/2025) night. (ANTARA/HO-PVMBG)

Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, erupted again with an eruption as high as 1,000 meters above the peak on Monday night.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru at 20.35 WIB with an eruption column height of about 1,000 meters above the peak or 4.676 meters above sea level (masl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Mukdas Sofian in a written report reported by ANTARA, Monday, March 17.

The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the north and northeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 157 seconds.

Based on reports, officers recorded 10 eruptions of Mount Semeru from 02.38 WIB to 20.35 WIB with an eruption height of 500 meters to 1,000 meters above the peak of Mahameru.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) provides a number of recommendations related to the alert status of Mount Semeru.

The public is prohibited from carrying out any activities 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.

In addition, 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.