Semeru Erupted Again Thursday Morning, PVMBG Set Alert Status

Illustration of an erupting mountain (ANTARA)

LUMAJANG - Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, erupted again with an eruption height of 700 meters above the peak on Thursday, January 29 morning.

"Mount Semeru erupted on Thursday at 07.20 WIB with an observed eruption column height of about 700 meters above the peak or 4,376 meters above sea level (msl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Mukdas Sofian, quoted by Antara, Thursday, January 29.

According to him, the observed ash column was white to gray with a thick intensity towards the southeast, then the eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 115 seconds.

The highest mountain on Java Island had previously erupted at 04.47 WIB with an observed eruption column height of about 500 meters above the peak (4,176 m asl).

"The observed ash column is gray with a thick intensity towards the southeast. The eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 20 mm and a duration of 123 seconds," he said.

He explained that Mount Semeru was in the Level III (Alert) volcanic activity status, so the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) provided a number of recommendations, namely that the public should not carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 kilometers from the peak (center of the eruption).

Outside this distance, he said, the public should not carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the river bank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because they have the potential to be hit by the expansion of the hot cloud and lava flow up to a distance of 17 kilometers from the peak.

"The public is also prohibited from carrying out activities within a radius of 5 kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, because they are prone to the danger of stone throwing (pijar)," he said.

The public needs to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava discharge, and lahar along the river/valley streams upstream of the Semeru Volcano peak, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lahar in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.