Merapi Volcano Eruption Shoots Hot Clouds 4 Miles Up, Evacuation Possible —Indonesia

When the Indonesian volcano Merapi erupted, it sent hot clouds 4 miles into the sky, which could necessitate evacuation.

The Merapi volcano in Indonesia erupted on Saturday, sending hot clouds up to four miles into the air, according to a statement from the nation's disaster management organization.

Around noon local time, the volcano in Indonesia's Yogyakarta special region erupted, according to the local authority, and a lava flow of almost 1 mile was seen.

The largest number of volcanoes are found in Indonesia, which is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The most recent violent eruption of Merapi killed over 350 people in 2010.

Possible Evacuation

A two-mile to four-mile radius around the crater is considered to be a danger zone, and locals have been warned to halt any activities there, according to officials.

One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, the 9,721-foot Merapi was already on the nation's second-highest alert level.

Yulianto, a local monitoring station official, reported that no residents have since been evacuated.

He claimed that although this had only been seen once, there had actually been 5-6 avalanches. Residents will likely be advised to evacuate if the coverage continues to increase and the danger zone exceeds four miles, New York Post reports.

Eruption of Merapi

Al Jazeera claims that when Mount Merapi erupted, spouting smoke and hot clouds, ash also covered the nearby villages. Authorities decided to stop mining and tourism on the slopes of the nation's most active volcano as a result.

According to Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, a column of hot clouds rose 100 meters into the air, but there were no immediate casualties reported.

The sun was obscured throughout the day by the eruption. According to an officer at one of Merapi's observation posts, volcanic ash has affected at least eight villages close to the volcano.

Images shown on local television depicted ash-covered homes and streets in a village close to the Java Island volcano.

Orange Alert Level

Using information from the Merapi Volcano Observatory, Magma Indonesia reports that the Merapi Volcano is at the Orange Alert Level. The ash cloud is progressing with the wind from the west to the northwest.

Seismogram of an eruption showing a maximum amplitude of 70 mm and a maximum duration of 202 seconds.

Merapi Volcano, Indonesia

The frequently eruptive Merapi has lava flows, lahars, pyroclastic flows, explosions with significant ashfall, block-and-ash flows, incandescent block avalanches, and cycles of dome growth and destruction, according to the Smithsonian.

In the most recent phase of the eruption, which started in December 2020, there have been explosions, incandescent avalanches, dome growth, and block-and-ash flows. In January and February 2021, two new lava domes emerged: one is located at the top of the SW flank, and one is inside the summit crater.

The SW dome had risen about 5 m, with an approximate volume of 1.67 million cubic meters. Meanwhile, the summit dome had risen another 4 m, with an estimated volume of 2.927 million cubic meters. Both lava domes continued to grow by October 2022.