Mount Marapi Erupts Again, Accompanied By Strong Bangs

Mount Marapi erupted which was photographed by residents from the direction of Padang Panjang City, West Sumatra, Thursday (13/3). (ANTARA)

PADANG - Mount Marapi in Agam Regency and Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra Province (West Sumatra) erupted again on Thursday, March 13 at 07.55 WIB with a duration of about 37 seconds.

"There has been an eruption of Mount Marapi, but the height of the ash column has not been observed," said Gunung Marapi (PGA) officer, Teguh, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday morning.

Based on reports from PGA Gunung Marapi officers, the eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 30.2 millimeters and lasted about 37 seconds.

In recent times, the volcano with a height of 2,891 meters above sea level (Mpdl) erupted several times, accompanied by a loud bang.

Referring to PGA data on March 7, 2025, officers recorded the eruption of Mount Marapi at 02.45 WIB with a column height of ash reaching 1,200 meters above the peak.

The volcanic ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity leaning towards the north. This eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 30.7 millimeters with a duration of 2 minutes 4 seconds. The day after that the volcano erupted again with a maximum amplitude of 30.4 millimeters and was about 55 seconds long.

Head of the Geological Agency, Muhammad Wafid, estimates that the eruption was due to the activity of opening a conduit vent cover at the bottom of the verbeek crater or the eruption center.

He explained that when there is a hardening of lava due to the cooling process (which can be accelerated by meteoric water infiltration), the conduit ventilation will close, resulting in an accumulation of pressure on the shallow near the surface.

Currently, the volcanic activity of Mount Marapi is at level II (alert) status. PVMBG issued a number of recommendations, including the community, climbers or visitors were asked not to enter or carry out activities within a radius of 3 kilometers from the eruption center (verbeek area) of Mount Marapi.

In addition, PVMBG urges people living around valleys, rivers or banks whose water originates at the top of Mount Marapi, to always be aware of the potential threat of rain lava floods that can occur, especially during the rainy season.