Mount Marapi erupted again on Tuesday morning, evacuation process postponed
Marapi Volcano Post (PGA) officers West Sumatra (Sumatra Barat) noted that over two days, Sunday (3/12/2023) to Monday (4/12/2023), there had been 46 eruptions.
"During two days a total of 46 eruptions occurred with the first explosive eruption on December 3 2023 at 14.54 WIB, with the height of the ash column observed to be around 3,000 meters above the peak or 5,891 meters above sea level," said the Head of the PGA. Marapi Ahmad Rifandi in Bukittinggi, Tuesday (5/12/2023).
Ahmad detailed that on Sunday (3/12/2023) Mount Marapi experienced 36 eruptions and 16 blows. Meanwhile, on Monday (4/12/2023) there were 10 eruptions.
"This morning another eruption occurred with the height of the ash column not being observed at 06.13 WIT, 06.14 WIT and 06.24 WIT, with a maximum amplitude of 30 millimeters," said Ahmad Rifandi.
The occurrence of this eruption made the joint SAR team again have to be alert, resulting in delays in the process of evacuating the eruption victims, who were still trapped around the top of the mountain.
The PGA also recorded the results of meteorological observations in the form of cloudy, overcast and rainy weather. Winds blow weakly to the east, southeast and southwest.
The air temperature is 23.1-26.6 degrees Celsius with air humidity 64.3-84.2 percent, and air pressure 681.2-682.2 mmHg. Meanwhile, the volume of rainfall is 0.14 mm per day.
Meanwhile, for visuals, he said, the mountain was clear until the fog was 0-III. Medium pressure crater smoke was observed to be gray and black in color with thick intensity and a height of 400-800 meters above the top of the crater.
Mount Marapi is at Level II, Alert, with recommendations from the community around Mount Marapi and tourist visitors not to climb the mountain within a radius of three kilometers from the summit crater.
Mount Marapi is administratively located in the Agam Regency and Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, and is monitored visually and instrumentally by the PGA which is located on Jalan Prof Hazairin Number 168, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.
Mount Marapi's volcanic activity in early 2023 was dominated by explosive eruptions which took place from 7 January 2023 to 20 February 2023 with eruption column heights ranging from 75 – 1,000 meters from the peak.
Subsequently, the eruption stopped and seismic activity was dominated by local and distant tectonic earthquakes, until finally erupting again in early December.