Report on Semeru (Indonesia) — 5 March-11 March 2003
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
5 March-11 March 2003
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2003. Report on Semeru (Indonesia). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 5 March-11 March 2003. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Semeru
Indonesia
8.108°S, 112.922°E; summit elev. 3657 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
During 24 February to 2 March, volcanism at Semeru remained at high levels. "White-gray ash plumes" were observed rising 300-400 m above the summit. Seismicity was dominated by 629 explosion earthquakes. Semeru remained at Alert Level 2 (on a scale of 1-4).
Geological Summary. Semeru, the highest volcano on Java, and one of its most active, lies at the southern end of a volcanic massif extending north to the Tengger caldera. The steep-sided volcano, also referred to as Mahameru (Great Mountain), rises above coastal plains to the south. Gunung Semeru was constructed south of the overlapping Ajek-ajek and Jambangan calderas. A line of lake-filled maars was constructed along a N-S trend cutting through the summit, and cinder cones and lava domes occupy the eastern and NE flanks. Summit topography is complicated by the shifting of craters from NW to SE. Frequent 19th and 20th century eruptions were dominated by small-to-moderate explosions from the summit crater, with occasional lava flows and larger explosive eruptions accompanied by pyroclastic flows that have reached the lower flanks of the volcano.
Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)