Warning! Mount Semeru Erupts Again This Afternoon (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)

Mount Semeru in East Java erupted again on Wednesday (7/1/2026) at 16:40 WIB. In the last week, Mount Semeru has erupted 20 times.

Quoting eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the observed ash column reached 400 meters above the peak or 4,076 meters above sea level.

The ash column was observed to be white to grey with thick intensity towards the northwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 12 millimeters and a duration of 121 seconds.

(Read: Volcanic Eruption Trends in Recent Years)

According to the MAGMA Indonesia volcanic activity report, Mount Semeru's activity level is at Level III (Alert). Seismicity observations on January 7, 2026, at 06:00-12:00 WIB showed 31 eruption/explosion earthquakes with amplitudes of 10-22 millimeters and earthquake durations of 57-122 seconds.

Furthermore, 6 exhalation earthquakes with amplitudes of 2-7 millimeters and earthquake durations of 38-71 seconds, and 1 harmonic earthquake with an amplitude of 5 millimeters and an earthquake duration of 124 seconds occurred.

PVMBG urges people not to carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 kilometers from the peak (eruption center). Beyond that distance, people should not engage in activities within 500 meters from the riverbank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan due to the potential for pyroclastic flow expansion and lava flows up to 17 kilometers from the peak.

Throughout 2026, MAGMA Indonesia has recorded 99 volcanic eruptions across Indonesia. Mount Semeru in East Java has erupted the most, with 57 eruptions.

(Read: Indonesia Has the Most Active Volcanoes in the World)