Mount Semeru Erupts 5 Times This Morning, Abu Colon Capai 1,000 Meters

Illustration of the eruption of Mount Semeru (ANTARA)

Mount Semeru, which is located on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, was recorded five times as an eruption with an eruption height of 600 meters to 1,000 meters above the peak on Wednesday, July 23 morning.

The first eruption occurred at 00.47 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 800 meters above the peak. The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the north.

After 6 minutes, the eruption occurred again at 00.53 WIB with an eruption column height of about 600 meters above the peak or 4,276 meters above sea level (masl).

"The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south. When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Liswanto, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 23.

The third eruption occurred at 05.30 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 900 meters above the peak and a column of ash was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south. Then there was another eruption at 05.39 WIB with an eruption height of 1,000 meters. The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate to southeast intensity.

Then the fifth eruption occurred at 06.11 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 600 meters above the peak. The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south.

Liswanto explained that Mount Semeru is still on Alert or Level II status, so that 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).

Outside of that distance, he said, people are not allowed to carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the riverbank 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.

"The public is also advised not to move within a three-kilometer radius of the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because it is prone to the dangers of incandescent stones," he said.

He appealed to the public to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava avalanches, and rain lava along rivers/valleys whose water flows 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 which are tributaries from Besuk Kobokan.