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Report on Raung (Indonesia) — 12 August-18 August 2015


Raung

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 12 August-18 August 2015
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2015. Report on Raung (Indonesia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 12 August-18 August 2015. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (12 August-18 August 2015)

Raung

Indonesia

8.119°S, 114.056°E; summit elev. 3260 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


PVMBG reported that the eruption at Raung was ongoing during 24 July-10 August. Ash plumes rose 1.5 km above the crater and crater incandescence was visible. Seismicity fluctuated but remained elevated; RSAM values peaked on 4 August (the highest recorded since the beginning of the eruption) and then decreased again. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was reminded not to approach the crater within a 3-km radius. Based on satellite observations and wind data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 12-14, 16, and 18 August multiple ash plumes from Raung rose to altitudes of 3.7-4 km (12,000-13,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 20-110 km W and WSW.

Geological Summary. Raung, one of Java's most active volcanoes, is a massive stratovolcano in easternmost Java that was constructed SW of the rim of Ijen caldera. The unvegetated summit is truncated by a dramatic steep-walled, 2-km-wide caldera that has been the site of frequent historical eruptions. A prehistoric collapse of Gunung Gadung on the W flank produced a large debris avalanche that traveled 79 km, reaching nearly to the Indian Ocean. Raung contains several centers constructed along a NE-SW line, with Gunung Suket and Gunung Gadung stratovolcanoes being located to the NE and W, respectively.

Sources: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM), Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)