PVMBG reported that the eruption at Semeru continued during 26 April-2 May and frequent Volcano Observatory Notices for Aviation (VONAs) describing ash emissions were issued through the week. On 28 April at 0739, 0822, and 2035 dense white-and-gray or gray-to-brown ash plumes rose 500-1,000 m above the summit and drifted S and SW. On 29 April at 0551 and 0734 dense white-and-gray ash plumes rose 800-1,000 m and drifted S. At 0624 and 0738 on 30 April white-and-gray ash plumes of variable densities rose 500-800 m and drifted NE. At 0611 on 1 May a dense white-and-gray ash plume rose 700 m and drifted S and SW, and at 0705 on 2 May a dense white-and-gray ash plume rose 500 m and drifted N. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4). The public was warned to stay at least 5 km away from the summit in all directions, 13 km from the summit to the SE, 100 m from the banks of the Kobokan drainage as far as 17 km from the summit, and to avoid other drainages originating on Semeru, including the Bang, Kembar, and Sat, due to lahar, avalanche, and pyroclastic flow hazards.

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)