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Mt. Slamet continues to erupt
An expert has warned that Mount Slametâs seismic activity remains high although it has not spewed lava in the past month
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An expert has warned that Mount Slamet's seismic activity remains high although it has not spewed lava in the past month.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Geology Agency head ,Surono, said Mt. Slamet's constantly high volcanic activity made it unsafe, forcing authorities to maintain its alert status at 'siaga' (level 3).
'Its activities are still high. Hundreds of tremors are recorded every 24 hours; thus, the situation is not yet safe,' he told journalists in Purwokerto, Central Java, on Monday.
Surono further said that due to such fluctuating conditions, Mt. Slamet was still closed to climbers. No activity is allowed within a 4-kilometer radius of the mountain.
Mt Slamet's increased volcanic activity during the past month has caused panic among residents in five regencies located on the slope of the volcano in Central Java. Among the five regencies located on the slope of Mt. Slamet are Banyumas, Brebes, Pemalang, Purbalingga and Tegal.
Tremors and harsh sounds have emanate dozens of times a day from the volcano, which in the past has also spewed volcanic ash up to 50 km away from the peak.
Data from Mt Slamet's volcano monitoring post shows that 82 volcanic tremors occurred during the period of 6 p.m. to midnight local time on Sunday, followed by 55 tremors early on Monday to 6 a.m. The volcano spewed thick ash reaching 150 meters.
'We wish that the energy emanating from Mt. Slamet was in form of volcanic smoke as it can minimize lava,' said Surono.
