Accompanied By Hot Clouds Of Falls, Mount Semeru Re-Eruption

The eruption of Mount Semeru accompanied by hot clouds of avalanches was monitored from the post of Mount Sawur, Lumajang, East Java on Sunday 26 February 2023. (Between/PVBMG)

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) in Lumajang Regency, East Java, erupted again with hot clouds falling on Sunday.

The officers of the Semeru Ghufron Volcano Observation Post (PPGA) Ali in a written statement said that there was an eruption on February 26, 2023 at 04.04 WIB.

"The height of the eruption column was not observed. Eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 40 mm and a duration of 1,860 seconds," he said at PPGA Semeru on Mount Sawur, Sunday.

Meanwhile, a PPGA Semeru officer, Mukdas Sofian, in his written report regarding the observation of the highest mountain activity on the island of Java on Sunday at 00.00-06.00 WIB, stated that there were 14 earthquakes with an amplitude of 15-21 mm with a length of 55-100 seconds.

"There was once a hot cloud avalanche with an amplitude of 40 mm and an earthquake of 1,800 seconds and two flood vibrations with an amplitude of 30 mm with a time of 8,400-13,200 seconds," he said, quoted by Antara.

For observations of the activity of Mount Semeru at 06.00-12.00 WIB, 23 earthquake eruptions were recorded with an amplitude of 18-23 mm, and a long earthquake of 70-95 seconds, then one deep volcanic earthquake with an amplitude of 18-23 mm, as well as one deep volcanic earthquake with an amplitude of 22 mm.

Mount Semeru is still in Alert or Level III status, so the public is advised to comply with a number of recommendations submitted by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG).

People are prohibited from carrying out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 km from the summit (the center of the eruption).

Outside this distance, the community is also 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 17 km from the summit.

"The public is also advised not to move within a 5 km radius of the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because it is prone to the danger of throwing stones (pijar)," he said.

In addition, he continued, the public is also advised to be aware of the potential for hot clouds of avalanches (APG), lava avalanches, and lahars along rivers/valleys that originate at the peak of Mount Semeru.

"Especially as long as Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat and the potential for lahars in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan," he said.