Friday Morning Mount Semeru Erupts 5 Times, Residents Are Urged To Increase Vigilance

Mount Semeru when it erupted with an eruption as high as 800 meters above the peak on Friday (29/11/2024) morning at 05.47 WIB. (ANTARA)

Mount Semeru, which is located on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java Province, was recorded several eruptions with an eruption height of 400 to 800 meters above the peak of Mahameru on Friday, November 29 morning.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru at 06.30 WIB, but the visual eruption was not observed and when the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Liswanto, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, November 29.

Based on officer data, the mountain, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl), experienced five eruptions on Friday morning, namely at 00.08 WIB, 05.08 WIB, at 05.47 WIB, 06.14 WIB, and at 06.30 WIB.

The first eruption occurred at 00.08 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 500 meters above the peak and a column of ash was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the northwest, recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 130 seconds.

Then Mount Semeru erupted again at 05.08 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 500 meters above the peak and the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 19 mm and a duration of 109 seconds.

The third eruption at 05.47 WIB with an eruptive column height was observed to be about 800 meters above the peak or height of 4,476 meters above sea level.

"The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity to the northwest. This eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 109 seconds," he said.

The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted again at 6.14 WIB with an eruptive column observed about 400 meters above the peak and column of ash, observed white to gray with moderate intensity to the north. When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing.

Liswanto explained, Mount Semeru is still on alert status, so 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).

Furthermore, outside this 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.