Central Java's Mount Merapi Spews Pyroclastic Cloud, Showered by Intense Raining

TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) in Yogyakarta announced that Mount Merapi has again spewed pyroclastic clouds in the past week from November 11 to 17, 2022. The volcanic clouds and intense rain had been showering the summit of the volcano throughout November.

"This week, the pyroclastic clouds flowed to the southwest direction or Kali Boyong (Boyong River) with a distance of 1,000 meters twice," said the chief of Yogyakarta BPPTKG, Agus Budi Santoso, on Saturday, November 19.

Agus also said that incandescent lava was observed to have glided downstream of Kali Bebeng (Bebeng River) four times with a maximum distance of 1,500 meters in a week. "There was a sound of [incandescent lava] avalanche once from Babadan Post with moderate intensity," he said.

However, the emergence of pyroclastic clouds was not accompanied by significant morphological changes from the southwestern and central domes. The volume of the southwestern dome is relatively constant, namely 1,616,500 cubic meters, while the middle dome is 2,772,000 cubic meters.

Agus said that it rained at the Mount Merapi Observation Post with a rainfall intensity of 86 millimeters per hour for 65 minutes at the Kaliurang Post on November 13, 2022. "But the rain did not trigger the occurrence of lava or increase the flow in the rivers that disgorge on Mount Merapi."

Merapi's volcanic activity is considered high, marked by the effusive eruption activity and the status is still at the alert level of Siaga or Level III.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor)

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