TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Kelud deadlier than Merapi
The newly appointed Energy and Mineral Resources Ministryâs Geology Agency head Surono has warned that the eruption of Mount Kelud this year could be more catastrophic than Merapi back in 2010
Change Size
Surono: (Antara) (Antara)
The newly appointed Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Geology Agency head Surono has warned that the eruption of Mount Kelud this year could be more catastrophic than Merapi back in 2010.
Surono said that, Kelud, which in Javanese means 'broom', was among the world's deadliest volcanoes and was more dangerous than Merapi.
Greg Breining's book, Super Volcano: The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park, also mentions that it is one of the deadliest volcanoes.
'If we look at the history of this volcano, it discharged at least 200 million cubic meters of ash in two days while Merapi [in 2010] sent up 150 million of ash over the course of a month,' he said on Friday, adding that the data was collected from Kelud's eruptions in 1919, 1966 and 1990.
'It shows that Kelud is going to erupt in a very short time, but the effect will be huge and the ash will spread to a lot more areas.'
As one of the deadliest volcanoes, he said Kelud would also create more tremors.
He predicted that the eruption period this year was going to be between two and three days, in line with the pattern seen throughout history.
He asssured, however, that Kelud's eruption would not trigger other volcanoes to erupt, saying that volcanic eruptions were not the 'flu'.
'Eruptions don't spread like the flu. Kelud has its own way, and Sinabung has its own way too,' he said.
Mt. Sinabung has been erupting since September last year, killing at least 17 people.
Earlier this month, the government raised the status of 19 volcanoes in the country to 'alert' level ' the second-highest category.
With his new position, the former Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) head said that he was going to strengthen collaboration with related departments to improve earth sciences and offer better input to the government and society.
'My role here is not just to provide data on seismology, deformation, or geometrics. I want to help people understand the elements of earth sciences better and help them respond when volcanoes are angry,' he continued.
As a country that has 127 volcanoes, the most in the world, he said Indonesia needed strong geology and volcanology foundations in addition to mitigation management.
The continuous monitoring of volcanoes and quick responses were also important to prevent fatalities.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed Surono shortly after Mt. Kelud erupted on Thursday night.
The President said he appointed Surono because of his vast knowledge of volcanoes in the country. 'With the new assignment, I want him to go into the field and do his job immediately,' he said.
Surono earned his masters and doctorate degree from the geology department at Grenoble University, France between 1986 and 1992.
Before that he studied physics at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) between 1976 and 1982.
