Report on Guntur (Indonesia) — April 2003
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 28, no. 4 (April 2003)
Managing Editor: Edward Venzke.
Guntur (Indonesia) Increased seismicity since December 2002
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2003. Report on Guntur (Indonesia) (Venzke, E., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 28:4. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN200304-263130
Guntur
Indonesia
7.143°S, 107.841°E; summit elev. 2251 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
During December 2002, the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (VSI) reported that activity at Guntur was higher than normal. As a result, the Alert Level was raised to 2 (on a scale of 1-4). No plume was observed, but deep and shallow volcanic earthquakes were registered, as well as tectonic earthquakes, through at least mid-May 2003. Tremor was also reported occasionally (table 1). On 28 December a "white ash plume around Guntur crater and Kabuyutan crater reached 3 m high." No ashfall was reported. The temperature at Guntur crater was 79.7°C and at Kabuyutan was 92.7°C. EDM deformation measurements taken on 22 November, 14 December, and 28 December 2002 revealed 11 cm of inflation. On 13 January 2003, an earthquake (MM 2-3) was felt in surrounding areas. Elevated tremor was noted during the first week of April 2003. Guntur remained at Alert Level 2 throughout mid-May.
Table 1. Seismicity at Guntur during 1 December 2002-18 May 2003. Courtesy of VSI.
| Date | Deep volcanic (A-type) | Shallow volcanic (B-type) | Tectonic |
| 01 Dec-08 Dec 2002 | 8 | 8 | 19 |
| 09 Dec-15 Dec 2002 | 5 | 12 | 23 |
| 16 Dec-22 Dec 2002 | 2 | 6 | 16 |
| 23 Dec-29 Dec 2002 | -- | 5 | 14 |
| 30 Dec-05 Jan 2003 | 8 | 24 | 15 |
| 06 Jan-12 Jan 2003 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 13 Jan-19 Jan 2003 | 2 | 11 | 12 |
| 20 Jan-26 Jan 2003 | 3 | 23 | 20 |
| 27 Jan-02 Feb 2003 | 5 | 5 | 22 |
| 03 Feb-09 Feb 2003 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 10 Feb-16 Feb 2003 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| 17 Feb-23 Feb 2003 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
| 24 Feb-02 Mar 2003 | 6 | 4 | 19 |
| 03 Mar-09 Mar 2003 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| 10 Mar-16 Mar 2003 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 17 Mar-23 Mar 2003 | 1 | 3 | 28 |
| 24 Mar-30 Mar 2003 | 4 | 4 | 24 |
| 31 Mar-06 Apr 2003 | 13 | 6 | 23 |
| 07 Apr-13 Apr 2003 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| 14 Apr-20 Apr 2003 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| 21 Apr-27 Apr 2003 | 6 | 3 | 31 |
| 28 Apr-04 May 2003 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 05 May-11 May 2003 | 2 | -- | 24 |
| 12 May-18 May 2003 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
Geological Summary. Guntur is a complex of several overlapping stratovolcanoes about 10 km NW of the city of Garut in western Java. Young lava flows, the most recent of which was erupted in 1840, are visible on the flanks of the erosionally unmodified Gunung Guntur, which rises about 1550 m above the plain of Garut. It is one of a group of younger cones constructed to the SW of an older eroded group of volcanoes at the NE end of the complex. Guntur, whose name means "thunder," is the only center with recorded activity, with eruptions since the late-17th century. Although it produced frequent explosive eruptions in the 19th century, it has not erupted since.
Information Contacts: Dali Ahmad, Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (VSI), Jalan Diponegoro No. 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/).
