Merapi Vomits Hot Clouds Falls 2 Times On Friday Night

Hot clouds of avalanches slid from Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java Province and Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) on Friday night (1/12/2023) (ANTARA/HO-BPPTKG)

YOGYAKARTA - Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java Province and Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) emitted hot clouds of avalanches twice on Friday night.

Head of the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) Agus Budi Santoso explained that the first hot cloud avalanche occurred at 19.27 WIB with a sliding distance of 2 km to the southwest or Bebeng River.

"228 seconds duration. The maximum amplitude is 40 mm. The sliding distance is 2,000 meters to the southwest," Agus said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, December 1.

Furthermore, hot clouds of avalanches were observed again at 19.47 WIB with a sliding distance of 1,200 meters to the south or Boyong River, a maximum amplitude of 42 mm, and a duration of 132 seconds.

Based on visual observations of the activity of Mount Merapi for the period 24-30 November 2023, Agus said, the morphology of the southwest dome of Merapi was observed to have slightly changed due to the growth activity of the dome and lava avalanches, while the morphology of the middle dome was relatively fixed.

He said the volume of the southwest lava dome of Merapi according to the results of the air photo analysis on November 16, 2023 was recorded at 3,348,600 cubic meters and the middle dome was 2,358,000 cubic meters.

BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at level III or standby which has been set since November 2020.

The potential danger of lava avalanches and hot clouds from avalanches could have an impact on Woro River up to three kilometers from the summit and Gendol River to five kilometers from the summit.

In addition, lava avalanches and hot clouds of avalanches can have an impact on the Boyong River up to five kilometers from the summit as well as the Bedog, Krasak, and Bebeng rivers up to seven kilometers from the summit.

If there is an explosive eruption, he said, then the ejection of volcanic material from Mount Merapi can reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain.