Today Mount Merapi Launches Hot Clouds Fall Six Times

Mount Merapi (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Mount Merapi on the border of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java, which has a level III or standby status, has again launched six hot clouds of avalanches with a maximum glide distance of 2,000 meters (2 km) to the southwest on Thursday, August 5.

Head of the Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida said the first hot cloud avalanche occurred at 04.49 WIB with a sliding distance of approximately 1,000 meters to the southwest.

"The hot cloud avalanches was recorded on the seismogram with an amplitude of 20 mm and a duration of 99 seconds," he said through his official statement in Yogyakarta, as reported by Antara.

Avalanche hot clouds were observed again at 08.05 WIB with a sliding distance of 2,000 meters to the southwest, a maximum amplitude of 30 meters, and a duration of 188 seconds.

At 08.27 WIB, the third hot cloud glided with a distance of approximately 2,000 meters to the southwest with an amplitude of 18 mm and a duration of 184 seconds.

The fourth hot cloud avalanche occurred at 08.45 WIB with a sliding distance of 1,800 meters. It was recorded on the seismogram with an amplitude of 19 mm and a duration of 140 seconds.

Next, the fifth hot cloud glided at 09.14 WIB which was recorded with an amplitude of 13 mm and a duration of 100 seconds. The glide distance was observed as far as 1,200 meters to the southwest. Then the sixth at 09.22 WIB recorded on the seismogram with an amplitude of 14 mm and a duration of 102 seconds, and a glide distance of 1,200 meters.

During the observation period from 00.00 to 06.00 WIB, incandescent lava avalanches were also observed five times sliding from Mount Merapi with a maximum distance of 1,000-2,000 meters to the southwest.

The active volcano was also recorded to have experienced one hot cloud earthquake with an amplitude of 20 mm for 99 seconds, 43 avalanches with an amplitude of 3-17 mm for 10-134 seconds, 134 times a multi-phase earthquake with an amplitude of 3-24 mm for 3 years. -7 seconds.

Next, there was one gust earthquake with an amplitude of 5 mm for 15 seconds, and 37 shallow volcanic earthquakes with an amplitude of 16-75 mm for 5-22 seconds.

Until now, BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at level III or standby.

The lava fall and hot clouds of Mount Merapi are expected to have an impact on the south-southwest sector, which includes the Yellow, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih rivers.

When an eruption occurs, the ejection of volcanic material from Mount Merapi is estimated to be able to reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain.