Mount Merapi Today: Launches Eight Incandescent Lava Falls

YOGYAKARTA - The Center for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), stated that Mount Merapi on the border of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java released incandescent lava eight times on Wednesday, February 2.

The incandescent lava slides with a maximum distance of 2,000 meters (2 km) to the southwest from 00.00 to 06.00 WIB.

According to the Head of BPPTKG Hanik Humaida in Yogyakarta, Wednesday, during the observation period, Merapi also experienced 30 avalanches with an amplitude of 3-24 mm for 30-135 seconds, four earthquake gusts with an amplitude of 3-6 mm for 10-18 seconds.

Next, 26 hybrid or multiple-phase earthquakes with an amplitude of 3-22 mm for 6-11 seconds, five shallow volcanic earthquakes with an amplitude of 40-75 mm for 10-19 seconds, and three distant tectonic earthquakes with an amplitude of 4-8 mm for 59- 116 seconds.

On Wednesday morning, weakly pressured crater smoke was observed to be white with a thin intensity and 20-50 meters high above the crater peak.

Based on the results of morphological analysis in the period 21 to 27 January 2022, he said, no significant morphological changes were observed, both in the southwest lava dome and the middle dome of Merapi.

No significant morphological changes were observed in either the southwest lava dome or the central dome.

The volume of the southwest lava dome is 1,670,000 cubic meters and the central dome is 3,007,000 cubic meters.

BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at Level III or Standby.

The current potential hazards are lava avalanches and hot clouds in the south-southwest sector covering the Boyong River for a maximum of 5 km, and the Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng rivers for a maximum of 7 km.

Meanwhile, the southeast sector covers the Woro River for a maximum of 3 km and the Gendol River for a maximum of 5 km.

If the volcano undergoes an explosive eruption, the ejection of volcanic material can reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain, said Hanik Humaida. This was reported by Antara.