LIPI Researchers Call Mysterious Bangs Derived From Activities In The Atmosphere

Photo illustration (Marc Wieland / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The sound of loud banging was heard in several areas in Jakarta and its surroundings on Saturday morning. The explosion is thought to have originated from the sound of the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau. However, this has been denied by the Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). If not from the eruption, where did the banging come from?

Researchers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) stated that the sound of thunder heard by a number of residents in the Jakarta to West Java area was a thunderbolt that sounded louder than usual.

The report from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) stated that the Strombolian-type eruption occurred at 00.03 in the morning with an altitude of 500 meters.

"In my opinion there may be an incident in the atmosphere such as lightning or heavy thunder, but the pertir activity in that area is indeed intensive," he told VOI, in Jakarta, Saturday, April 11.

The sound of the thump was very clear, said Nugroho, because the COVID-19 pandemic conditions had reduced people's activity and left the highway empty of vehicle noise.

Nugroho said that the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau is quite small and does not have the potential to produce large sound energy that can be heard very far. Moreover, people whose location is closer to Mount Anak Krakatau, such as Banten, Carita, Lampung, and surrounding areas, have not yet provided a report if they heard the sound of the crash.

"It is in the Sunda Strait. Mount Anak Krakatau should be heard from Serang Lampung, but you can't hear it there. You can't jump from the Sunda Strait directly to Jakarta. It must travel around the Sunda Strait," he said. .

Nugroho analyzed that the sound of the thunder came from the sound of lightning in locations around the explosion, such as DKI Jakarta and West Java. Even so, he admitted that in the incident last night his voice sounded louder than usual.

"So this should only be a local Jabodetabek incident," he explained.