Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano erupts, top alert status triggered

Subject :Geography

In the news-

Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted Sunday spewing hot ash clouds a mile into the sky and sending rivers of lava down its side, prompting authorities to raise the alert status to the highest level.

Details about the eruption-

Located on Indonesia’s main island of Java, around 800 kilometres (500 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta.
Caused by piles of lava at the tip of the 3,676-metre (12,000 feet) volcano slid down after the eruption.

One year after the last eruption-

Mount Semeru last erupted exactly one year ago, killing at least 51 people and damaging more than 5,000 homes.
Semeru’s alert status had remained at its second-highest level since its previous major eruption in December 2020, which also forced thousands to flee and left villages covered.

Why volcanic eruption in Indonesia-

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
A volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted in late 2018, causing an underwater landslide and tsunami that killed more than 400 people.

About Mount Semeru-

The Semeru or Mount Semeru is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia.
It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate.
It is the highest mountain on the island of Java.
The name “Semeru” is derived from Meru, the central world mountain in Hinduism, or Sumeru, the abode of gods.
This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru, meaning “The Great Mountain” in Sanskrit.