Mount Merapi Unleashes Pyroclastic Flows Six Times

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Center for Investigation and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) said that Mount Merapi on the border of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java launched pyroclastic flows six times on Sunday.

Head of BBPTKG Hanik Humaida said in a statement on Sunday that the six flows recorded at 00:00 to 06:00 (Indonesia western time) had an amplitude of 3-20 mm with a duration of 29-77 seconds.

In addition to the pyroclastic  flows, on the volcano there was also one low frequency earthquake with an amplitude of 10 mm and a duration of 23 seconds and two times of long tectonic quakes with an amplitude of 3-12 mm for 110-228 seconds.

Read also: Mount Merapi Ejects Lava Avalanche Flowing 1,000 Meters Downslope

Meanwhile, visual observations showed the presence of white smoke with thin intensity and high 30-50 meters above the top of the crater.

On the volcano, the wind blew weakly to the east and southeast, the air temperature was 15-19 degrees Celsius, the humidity was 68-84 percent, and the air pressure was 629-689 mmHg.

Until now BPPTKG maintained the status of Mount Merapi at Level II or Alert and for the time being did not recommend climbing activities except for the purposes of investigation and research related to disaster mitigation.

BPPTKG asked residents not to carry out activities within a radius of three kilometers from the summit of Mount Merapi, and appealed to residents around the Gendol River flow area to increase awareness because the gliding distance of the hot clouds of Merapi's fighters was farther away.

ANTARA