Mount Semeru Erupts Again This Morning (Saturday, August 16, 2025)

Mount Semeru in East Java erupted again on Saturday (August 16, 2025) at 05:37 AM WIB. In the last week, Mount Semeru has erupted 42 times.

Citing eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the height of the ash column was observed to be around 1,000 meters above the peak or 4,676 meters above sea level.

The ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity towards the north. The eruption of Mount Semeru was still ongoing when this report was made.

(Read: Climate Change-Related Natural Disasters Increasing Globally)

According to the MAGMA Indonesia volcano activity report, the activity level of Mount Semeru is at Level II (Alert). Seismic observations on August 16, 2025, at 00:00-23:59 WIB showed 40 explosion/eruption earthquakes with amplitudes of 10-22 millimeters and earthquake durations of 62-154 seconds.

Furthermore, there were 11 exhalation earthquakes with amplitudes of 4-8 millimeters and durations of 39-110 seconds, and 7 distant tectonic earthquakes with amplitudes of 5-24 millimeters s-p 11-63 seconds and durations of 40-150 seconds.

PVMBG urges against any activity in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 8 kilometers from the peak (eruption center). Beyond that distance, the public should not engage in activities within 500 meters from the riverbanks (river border) along Besuk Kobokan due to the potential for being affected by the expansion of pyroclastic flows and lahar flows up to 13 kilometers from the peak.

Throughout 2025, MAGMA Indonesia has recorded 5,633 volcanic eruptions across Indonesia. Mount Semeru in East Java had the most eruptions with 2,259 occurrences.

(Read: Number of Natural Disaster Victims in Indonesia as of July 8, 2025)