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Mt Merapi spews lava
In the last several weeks Mount Merapi has spewed molten lava, which has flowed toward an upstream section of the Lamat River, located on the western side of the volcano, a volcanologist has said
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n the last several weeks Mount Merapi has spewed molten lava, which has flowed toward an upstream section of the Lamat River, located on the western side of the volcano, a volcanologist has said.
'The lava flow occurred because the rock formation at the western part of Mt. Merapi's peak had become weak. It was also triggered by tectonic tremors,' said Kusdaryanto, head of the Mt. Merapi observation division at the Yogyakarta Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Agency, on Tuesday.
He said the lava flow reached as far as 900 meters from the crater of the volcano, which is around 2,900 m above sea level.
Kusdaryanto said Mt. Merapi's declivity gradient and a long dry spell had caused the soil structure at the peak of the volcano to become unstable. The volcanic materials released comprised ash, gravel and large stones with diameters of around 1 m, he added.
'The amount of lava released has been still relatively small. This week, its frequency has continued to decline. The last lava release was at around 7:54 a.m. local time on Tuesday,' he said.
Kusdaryanto said that during the period of July 31 to Aug.6, there had been 20 cases of lava flowing from the mountain and seven small tectonic quakes.
He said the alert status of Mt. Merapi, which is located in Magelang regency, Central Java, remained normal. He added the lava did not indicate an increase in volcanic activity, adding that the last major eruption occurred in 2010.
'There is no sign of increased volcanic activity; hence, Mt. Merapi's status is still normal,' said Kusdaryanto.
Meanwhile, Triatmojo of the Gunung (Mount) Merapi National Park said the volcano was still relatively safe for mountain trekking.
'The lava does not flow near its mountain climbing route,' he said.
On Aug.17, thousands of nature lovers usually climb Mt. Merapi and celebrate Indonesia's Independence Day on its peak. 'We recommend that they climb only up to the Bubar market, and not to the peak,' said Triatmojo. In May, a climber died after he fell into the volcano's crater. (ebf)(++++)
