Mount Semeru Erupts Again Sunday Morning

Mount Semeru erupted again at 05.31 WIB, Sunday (12/19). The eruption was observed with the height of the ash column observed at about 2,000 meters above the summit (about 5676 meters above sea level).

The ash column was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity towards the southwest," said Mukdas Sofian from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) in an official statement.

He also said the eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 20 millimeters and a duration of 720 seconds.

Based on this, Mukdas appealed to residents not to carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 kilometers from the summit (the center of the eruption).

Beyond that distance, people do not carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the riverbank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because it has the potential to be affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 kilometers from the peak," he added.

Then, he also asked residents not to move within a radius of 5 kilometers from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because it is prone to the danger of throwing stones (incandescent).

Finally, he appealed to residents to remain aware of the potential for hot clouds of avalanches (APG), lava avalanches, and lahars along rivers/valleys that tip the top of Mount Semeru.

Especially during Kobokan visits, Bang visits, Twin visits, and Sat visits as well as the potential for lahars in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan," he said.

Meanwhile, the Semeru Team of the East Java Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), through the official BMKG Twitter account for Class I Meteorological Station Juanda Sidoarjo, predicts the weather in the Mount Semeru area has the potential to rain in the afternoon and evening.

In addition, the wind speed is predicted to be calm with an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and humidity of 92 percent.