Authority Raises Alert Status of Mount Slamet to Level II Caution

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) today, Oct. 19, raised the alert status of Mount Slamet in Central Java from level I or normal to level II or caution.

“2,096 earthquake gusts were recorded from October 1 to 18, 2023,” Head of PVMBG Hendra Gunawan said in his statement as quoted from Antara on Thursday.

The agency also recorded three harmonic tremors, two deep volcanic earthquakes, 12 local tectonic earthquakes, seven distant tectonic earthquakes, and a continuous tremor with an amplitude of 0.2 to six millimeters, which was mostly two millimeters.

Additionally, the agency detected an increase in pressure within the volcano's body, which could trigger both shallow earthquakes and phreatic eruptions.

“The current potential threat from Mount Slamet is phreatic or magmatic eruptions, which can produce incandescent lava that can hit the area around the summit within a radius of two kilometers. Ash rain can occur around the crater or nearby areas depending on the wind direction and speed,” Hendra explained.

Mount Slamet, which stands 3,432 meters above sea level, is located in five regencies, namely Banyumas Regency, Purbalingga Regency, Pemalang Regency, Tegal Regency, and Brebes Regency.

ANTARA

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