Mount Semeru Erupts Again, Eruption Column as High as 1 Kilometer

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Mount Semeru, which has a height of 3,676 meters above sea level (masl) in Lumajang Regency, East Java, erupted again with the height of the eruption column to be around 1 kilometer above the peak on Monday, December 25, 2023.

The Mount Semeru Observation Post officer on Mount Sawur, Ghufron Alwi, in his written report said that an eruption of Mount Semeru occurred on Monday at 05:12 WIB (Western Indonesian Time).

"The height of the eruption column was observed to be around 1,000 m above the peak (± 4,676 meters above sea level). The ash column was observed to be gray in color with thick intensity towards the south," he said as quoted by Antara, Monday.

According to him, the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 248 seconds and the status of the highest mountain on the island of Java is still at level III or alert.

Mount Semeru's activity on Monday during the period 00:00-06:00 WIB recorded seismic observations of 19 earthquake eruptions with an amplitude of 11-22 mm and an earthquake duration of 73-151 seconds.

Then there was one hot cloud eruption earthquake with an amplitude of 22 mm and an earthquake duration of 248 seconds, one avalanche earthquake with an amplitude of 3 mm and an earthquake duration of 62 seconds, and three gust earthquakes with an amplitude of 5-7 mm with an earthquake duration of 52-58 seconds.

"We urge the public not to carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 km from the peak (center of the eruption)," he said.

Beyond this distance, people are not permitted to carry out activities within 500 meters of the river bank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because they have the potential to be affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 km from the peak.

"The public is also not allowed to carry out activities within a 5 kilometer radius of the crater/top of Mount Semeru because it is prone to the danger of throwing rocks (incandescence)," he said.

He appealed to the public to be aware of the potential for hot cloud avalanches (APG), lava avalanches and lava along rivers/valleys that originate at the peak of Mount Semeru Volcano, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar and Besuk Sat as well as the potential for lava in rivers -a small river which is a tributary of Besuk Kobokan.

ANTARA

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