Bulletin Report for September 1989 (SEAN 14:09) Cite this Report

Photos and more precise location

Savill's photograph (figure 1) shows a fresh-appearing feature emitting two small gas plumes in an otherwise heavily forested area. Careful comparison of his panoramic view of the region (figure 2) with maps at scales of 1:250,000 (Manna quadrangle, BAKOSURTANAL, 1986) and 1:500,000 (Tactical Pilotage Chart M-10CG, British Military Survey, 1971) places the crater ~8 km WNW of the position given in 14:5. Map data indicate that vent's revised position is at ~2,300 m altitude, roughly 6 km SSE of the summit of Gunung Patah (Zen, 1973). Savill reports that clouds have prevented observations of the vent during subsequent overflights.

Figure 1. Oblique airphoto taken 1 May 1989 showing an apparent new vent in S Sumatra SE of Patah. A pair of gas plumes emerge from the bottom of the feature, which he estimated to be about 150 m across. A light-colored unvegetated zone appears to extend just over the vent rim and a short distance down a narrow valley that drains the lowest portion of the vent. Photograph by Michael Savill.

Figure 2. Panoramic oblique airphoto taken 1 May 1989. Annotations show the photo's orientation, the approximate location of the vent SE of Patah, and Dempo volcano, a prominent cone roughly 40 km to the NW. Photograph by Michael Savill.

Information Contacts: M. Savill, Worthing, UK.

Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

May 1989 (SEAN 14:05) Cite this Report

Overflight shows gas emission from 150-m crater

On 1 May, M.S. Savill, pilot of a British cargo aircraft, photographed an apparent new crater in rugged, heavily forested terrain at ~2,500 m altitude [around 4.30°S, 103.32°E, ~6 km SE of Patah]. The crater was described as a smoking feature ~150 m across on a ridge that is usually obscured by clouds. There was no evidence of a lava flow. VSI reported no observations of activity in the area.

The reported location of the new vent is ~7 km W of Bukit Ringgit II (Zen, 1973), and ~25 km W of Marga Bayur, which had a small phreatic eruption in 1940 [but see 14:9]. Dempo, ~45 km to the NW, has erupted more than 20 times since the early 19th century. The Tanjung Sakti hot springs and fumarole fields, on the S flank ~10 km from Dempo's summit, include six hot/boiling springs that emit white fume at temperatures ranging from 95°C to boiling.

References. Zen, M.T., 1973, IAVCEI Data Sheets of the Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World.

Information Contacts: I. Gass, Open Univ; VSI.

September 1989 (SEAN 14:09) Cite this Report

Photos and more precise location

Savill's photograph (figure 1) shows a fresh-appearing feature emitting two small gas plumes in an otherwise heavily forested area. Careful comparison of his panoramic view of the region (figure 2) with maps at scales of 1:250,000 (Manna quadrangle, BAKOSURTANAL, 1986) and 1:500,000 (Tactical Pilotage Chart M-10CG, British Military Survey, 1971) places the crater ~8 km WNW of the position given in 14:5. Map data indicate that vent's revised position is at ~2,300 m altitude, roughly 6 km SSE of the summit of Gunung Patah (Zen, 1973). Savill reports that clouds have prevented observations of the vent during subsequent overflights.

Figure 1. Oblique airphoto taken 1 May 1989 showing an apparent new vent in S Sumatra SE of Patah. A pair of gas plumes emerge from the bottom of the feature, which he estimated to be about 150 m across. A light-colored unvegetated zone appears to extend just over the vent rim and a short distance down a narrow valley that drains the lowest portion of the vent. Photograph by Michael Savill.

Figure 2. Panoramic oblique airphoto taken 1 May 1989. Annotations show the photo's orientation, the approximate location of the vent SE of Patah, and Dempo volcano, a prominent cone roughly 40 km to the NW. Photograph by Michael Savill.

Information Contacts: M. Savill, Worthing, UK.