Gunung Merapi Activity Intensifies: Central Java, Indonesia

The many times I have been up and around Gunung Merapi over the years it has always been belching out smoke of some kind. It is a finicky mountain that in a way controls the livelihoods of all those living on its slopes and also in Yogyakarta itself.

The locals always say 'If it happens, then it happens and we cannot stop it' in reference to a large scale volcanic eruption. Living so close to one of the worlds most volatile volcanoes used to worry me when I was in Yogyakarta and Candika always used to laugh at me. Towards the end of my ten years there I became accustomed to the rumbles and the earth tremors and even the belching smoke.

The recent earthquake has without a doubt unsettled the mountain and I have no hesitation in saying that when it erupts then it will be just as bad as that of the 1930s eruption. I truly hope I am wrong but there is far too much pressure inside the mountain. If the mountain splits on the south side then it will mean disaster for the city of Yogyakarta itself. Something that the people of this beautiful and ancient city do not need.

Slamet Susanto, a reporter for the Jakarta Post is in Yogyakarta at the moment and she reports that the activity of Gunung Merapi has intensified.

Merapi’s activity intensifies
Slamet Susanto

Smoldering Mt. Merapi's activity increased markedly expelling hot clouds at frequent intervals and sending trails of lava down its slopes as the volcano's spiritual guardian warned locals to be on alert.

The volcano which showed a significant increase in activity following Saturdays earthquake in nearby Yogyakarta and Central Java sent out hot clouds every 10 minutes and lava at three minute averages.

Lava and clouds flowed in a southerly direction toward Cangkringan district in Sleman regency and to the southeast in Klaten regency, Central Java. Before the quake the direction of the flow was to the western part of Sleman in Yogyakarta and Magelang regency in Central Java.

"The hot clouds were of a high intensity and kept on increasing. All officials at Merapi observation posts have been instructed to intensify their monitoring and analyzing of the volcano’s status" an expert staff of the Yogyakarta based Volcanology Research and Technology Development, Triyani said.

Observers determined the hot clouds reached as far as three kilometers down the volcano's slopes.
On Thursday, the 2,914-meter volcano was also spewing sulfurous gas up to 1.2 kilometers into the sky the highest since the mountain was put on top alert status on May 13.

The new lava dome whose formation was first observed on April 28 continues to grow.

"The new lava domes quantity has increased every day at an average of 150,000 cubic meters" said the agencys Merapi section head Subandrio.

Spiritual guardian Mbah Maridjan who has refused to leave the area despite the volcanos activity warned residents to be alert. He distributed fliers advising them to prepare offerings including traditional food like sticky rice, banana cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar and two Rp 100 coins to ward off bad luck.

On Thursday night after his return from conducting a ritual at Parangtritis beach in Bantul in the afternoon he was scheduled to perform a traditional Javanese ceremony to banish evil spells from the mountain.

After weeks of activity the volcano had been relatively subdued until Saturdays quake. Scientists warn the effect of the earthquake could cause the magma dome to crack or collapse spewing out millions of cubic meters of volcanic rock and lava on surrounding communities.