Mount Merapi Emits Incandescent Lava Avalanches 11 Times: Official

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Mount Merapi, on the border of Central Java and Yogyakarta, emitted 11 incandescent lava avalanches, with a sliding distance of 1,200 meters on Thursday, the Research and Development Center for Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) said.

Head of BPPTKG Agus Budi Santoso said that based on observations from 00:00 to 06:00 local time, the incandescent lava avalanches were sliding toward the southwest.

"We observed 11 incandescent lava avalanches, with a sliding distance of 1,200 meters to the southwest," he said in a statement on Thursday, March 16.

Also read: Indonesias Merapi Volcano Erupts, Covers Villages in Ash

During the observation period, Mount Merapi also experienced 16 earthquakes, with an amplitude of 4-35 mm for 24.4-166.8 seconds; seven multi-phase earthquakes having an amplitude of 3-6 mm for 5-7.6 seconds; one shallow volcanic earthquake, with an amplitude of 62 mm for 8.3 seconds; and one deep volcanic earthquake, with an amplitude of 6 mm for 11.7 seconds, Santoso said.

Thick crater smoke above the peak of Mount Merapi was also visible during the observation, he added.

Meanwhile, during the observation period on Wednesday at 18:00-24:00 local time, Mount Merapi was recorded to have been spewing hot clouds thrice, with a maximum sliding distance of 1,300 meters to the southwest, Santoso said.

In addition, lava avalanches were observed 49 times, with a sliding distance of 1,500 meters to the southwest.

Also read: Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Continuously Spews Hot Clouds and Ash

The BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi on Alert since November 2020.

Susanto said that the potential danger at this time is in the form of lava avalanches and hot clouds in Woro River, three kilometers from the summit; Gendol River, five kilometers from the summit; Boyon River, five kilometers from the summit; as well as Bedog, Krasak, and Bebeng rivers, some seven kilometers from the summit.

Meanwhile, the ejection of volcanic material during an explosive eruption can reach a radius of three kilometers from the summit, said.

The BPPTKG also appealed to the public to be vigilant of the danger of lava in the river flow from Mount Merapi, especially during rains at the top of the mountain.

Source: State News Antara