Mount Semeru Launches Hot Clouds To The Southeast For 4 Km

Mount Semeru launched hot clouds of avalanches on Wednesday (23/3/2022) early in the morning. (Antara/HO-BPBD Lumajang)

LUMAJANG - Mount Semeru launched Wedus Gembel or hot clouds of avalanches as far as four kilometers to the southeast on Wednesday, March 23, at 03.53 WIB. Wedus Grumpy headed for Kobokan and Lengkong visits in Lumajang Regency.

Citing reports from officers of the Mount Semeru Monitoring Post on Mount Sawur, the hot cloud slide recorded on the seismogram has a maximum amplitude of 25 mm.

According to a postal monitoring officer report, Head of the Emergency, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Division of the Lumajang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Joko Sambang said, Mount Semeru during the observation period Wednesday at 00.00 to 06.00 WIB experienced 12 eruptions.

"The height of the smoke is approximately 500 to 700 meters, the color of the white-gray smoke tends to the southwest and southeast", he said, adding, during the observation period, there were also nine times the roar of eruptions, as reported by Antara.

In addition, Mount Semeru has experienced 18 earthquakes with an amplitude of 18-25 mm for 100-250 seconds, five harmonic tremors, two volcanic earthquakes, and two distant tectonic earthquakes.

During the observation period on Wednesday from 06.00 to 12.00 WIB, an eruption of gray-white smoke with a smoke height of 400 to 1,800 meters was observed at the top of Mount Semeru.

During the observation period, Semeru was recorded to experience 19 earthquake eruptions, one gust earthquake, and one harmonic tremor with an amplitude of 6 mm for 220 seconds.

Mount Semeru has been known to be on standby since December 16, 2021. Residents are advised not to carry out activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 km from the top of the mountain and in areas within a radius of 500 meters from the riverbank along Besuk Kobokan that are potentially affected by hot clouds from avalanches and lava flows.

"People are also not allowed to move within a five-kilometer radius from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because it is prone to the danger of throwing stones (incandescent)", said Joko.

He appealed to residents around Mount Semeru to be aware of the impact of hot clouds avalanches, lava avalanches, and lava along the river that originates at the top of the mountain, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, and the impact of lava flows in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.