Since the alert status declared on 20 September last, the volcanic activity tends to increase. According to the observations of Mount Merapi in Kaliurang, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Triyono, volcanic earthquakes often occur in the last few days.
Triyono said the quake was felt by the community can be located in a radius of 6 kilometers from the summit of Mount Merapi.
On Friday, he said, occurred 15 times volcanic earthquakes and shallow volcanic earthquake 24 times. The multiphase earthquake occurred as many as 246 times and 1 time of tectonic earthquake. "Tectonic earthquake that occurred on October 15, reached 2 on the Richter scale," Triyono said yesterday.
The number of earthquakes increased from the previous day, ie 10 times of volcanic earthquakes, shallow volcanic earthquake 15 times and 164 times multiphase earthquakes, and avalanches occurred 34 times.
According to the Head of Investigation and Technology Development in Yogyakarta Kegunungapian Subandrio, the material on the dome of Mount Merapi eruption in June 2006 after remaining 500 thousand cubic meters.
Subandrio said that after the specified alert status, the dome height was not changed shape. "There has been no new dome," he said yesterday.
Subandrio admitted every material time of avalanches of lava from the summit of Mount Merapi, but its scale is still small. "During the glowing material can not be seen visually, then certainly the numbers are still relatively few," he said.
When the eruption of 2006, he continued, Mount Merapi material issued about 14 million cubic meters. Waste material of lava that is on top of the mountain is estimated about 500 thousand cubic meters. The material was reduced due to heavy rain that cold lava flow into the rivers around Merapi.
Although there has been no evacuation orders, people living in the area of Disaster Prone Area III has been increased vigilance. Village Head Umbulharjo, Cangkringan District, Sleman District, Bejo Mulyo, said today that people living in the region still active as usual. Village Umbulharjo enter the disaster-prone areas.
He asked the people always follow the information for signs of animals such as the decline of the mountain was not able to be the benchmark. "Animal greatly reduced," said Bejo.
The Head of Kepuharjo Hamlet, Village Kepuharjo, District Cangkringan, Heri Suprapto, said residents are ready to evacuate if it was time. Because the status of Merapi is still alert, residents still run as usual activity. "But they reduce the activity of looking for feeding livestock in the mountains," he said.
