Now, we’re take a walk dangers tourism, but beautiful, this place is Merapi.
Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian/Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in
Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is located approximately 28
kilometres (17 mi) north of the large Yogyakarta city,
and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as
high as1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.
Smoke can be
seen emerging from the mountaintop at least 300 days a year, and several
eruptions have caused fatalities. Hot gas from a large explosion killed 27
people on 22 November in 1994, mostly in the town of Muntilan, west of the
volcano. Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta
earthquake. In light of the hazards that Merapi poses to populated
areas, it has been designated as one of the Decade Volcanoes.
On 25
October 2010 the Indonesian government raised the alert for Mount Merapi to its
highest level and warned villagers in threatened areas to move to safer ground.
The mountain was still erupting on 30 November 2010 however due to lowered
eruptive activity on 3 December 2010 the official alert status was reduced to
level 3. The volcano is now 2930 metres high, 38 metres lower than before the 2010
eruptions.
Etymology
The name Merapi could be loosely translated as 'Mountain of Fire'. The etymology of the name came
from Meru-Api; from the Javanese combined
words; Meru means "mountain", refer
to mythical mountain of Gods in Hinduism, and api means "fire".
Geological
history
Merapi is the youngest
in a group of volcanoes in southern Java. this tourism situated at a subduction zone,
where the Indo-Australian Plate is subducting under the Eurasian Plate. It is one of at least 129
active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the volcano is located in the
Southeastern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire–a section of fault lines
stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia. Stratigraphic analysis reveals that
eruptions in the Merapi area began about 400,000 years ago, and from then until
about 10,000 years ago, eruptions were typically effusive, and the out flowing lava emitted was basaltic. Since then, eruptions have become more explosive,
with viscous andesitic lavas
often generating lava domes. Dome collapse has often generated pyroclastic flows, and larger explosions,
which have resulted in eruption columns, have also generated
pyroclastic flows through column collapse.
Typically,
small eruptions occur every two to three years, and larger ones every 10–15
years or so. Notable eruptions, often causing many deaths, have occurred in
1006, 1786, 1822, 1872, and 1930—when thirteen villages were destroyed and 1400
people killed by pyroclastic flows.
Merapi Monitoring
Mount Merapi
is the site of a very active volcano monitoring program. Seismic monitoring
began in 1924, with some of the volcano monitoring stations lasting until the
present. The Babadan (northwest location), Selo (in the saddle between Merbabu and
Merapi), and Plawangan monitoring
stations have been updated with equipment over the decades since establishment.
During the 1950s and early 1960s some of the stations were starved of equipment
and funds, but after the 1970s considerable improvement occurred with the
supply of new equipment. Some of the pre-1930 observation posts were destroyed
by the 1930 eruption, and newer posts were re-located. Similarly after the 1994
eruption, the Plawangan post and equipment were moved into Kaliurang as
a response to the threat of danger to the volcanological personnel at the
higher point.
The eruption
of 1930 was found to have been preceded by a large earthquake swarm. The
network of 8 seismographs currently
around the volcano allow volcanologists to accurately pinpoint the hypocentres of
tremors and quakes.
A zone in
which no quakes originate is found about 1.5 km below the summit, and is
thought to be the location of the magma reservoir which feeds the eruptions.
Other
measurements taken on the volcano include magnetic measurements
and tilt measurements. Small changes in the local magnetic field have been
found to coincide with eruptions, and tilt measurements reveal the inflation of
the volcano caused when the magma chambers beneath it is filling up.
Lahars (a type of mudflow of
pyroclastic material and water) are an important hazard on the mountain, and
are caused by rain remobilizing pyroclastic flow
deposits. Lahars can be detected seismically, as they cause a high-frequency seismic
signal. Observations have found that about 50 mm of rain per hour is the
threshold above which lahars are often generated.
Sterile zone
Following
the 2010 eruption, three Indonesian government departments declared a
prohibited zone which nobody can permanently stay and no infrastructure is
allowed in 9 villages (dusun): Palemsari, Pangukrejo, Kaliadem, Jambu, Kopeng,
Petung, Kalitengah Lor, Kalitengah Kidul and Srunen, all in Cangkringan
district.
Sabo Dam
There are
about 90 units (30 percent) from the total 258 units of sand barriers (sabo)
were damaged. The cost for recovery is about Rp.1 trillion ($116 million).
National park
In 2004 an
area of 6,410 hectares around Mount Merapi was established as a national
park, we can take a walk in this tourism anytime. The decision of
the Ministry of Forestry to declare the park has been subsequently challenged
in court by The
Indonesian Forum for Environment, on grounds of lack of consultation
with local residents.During the 2006 eruption of the volcano it was reported
that many residents were reluctant to leave because they feared their
residences would be confiscated for expanding the national park.
Creation
Although
most nearby villages have their own myths about the creation of Mount Merapi,
they have numerous commonalities. It is believed that when the gods had just
created the Earth, Java was unbalanced because of the placement
of Mount Jamurdipo on the west end of the island. In order to assure balance,
the gods (generally represented by Batara
Guru) ordered the mountain to be moved to the centre of Java.
However, two armourers, Empu Rama and Empu Permadi, were already forging a
sacred keris at the site where Mount Jamurdipo was
to be moved. The gods warned them that they would be moving a mountain there,
and that they should leave; Empu Rama and Empu Permadi ignored that warning. In
anger, the gods buried Empu Rama and Empu Permadi under Mount Jamurdipo; their
spirits later became the rulers of all mystical beings in the area. In memory
of them, Mount Jamurdipo was later renamed Mount Merapi, which means "fire
of Rama and Permadi."
Mythology
Merapi is
very important to Javanese, especially those living around its
crater. As such, there are many myths and beliefs attached to Merapi. The famous myth 'mbah petruk' are keeping merapi.
Spirits of Merapi
To keep the
volcano quiet and to appease the spirits of the mountain, the Javanese
regularly bring offerings on the anniversary of the sultan of Yogyakarta's coronation. ForYogyakarta Sultanate,
Merapi holds significant cosmological symbolism, because it is forming a sacred
north-south axis line between Merapi peak and Southern Ocean (Indian Ocean). The sacred axis is signified by
Merapi peak in the north, the Tugu (id) monument near Yogyakarta main train
station, the axis runs along Malioboro street
to Northern Alun-alun (square) across Keraton Yogyakarta
(sultan palace), Southern Alun-alun, all the way to Bantul and finally reach
Samas and Parangkusumo beach on the estuary of Opak river and Southern Ocean.
This sacred axis connected the hyangs or spirits of mountain revered since
ancient times—often identified as "Mbah Petruk" by Javanese
people—The Sultan of Yogyakarta as the leader of the Javanese kingdom, and Nyi Roro Kidul as the queen of the Southern Ocean,
the female ocean deity revered by Javanese people and also mythical consort of
Javanese kings.
Spirit Kraton of
Merapi
The Javanese
believe that the Earth is not only populated by human beings, but also by
spirits (makhluk halus). Villages near Merapi believe that one of the
palaces (in Javanesekraton)
used by the rulers of the spirit kingdom lies inside Merapi, ruled by Empu Rama
and Empu Permadi. This palace is said to be a spiritual counterpart to the Yogyakarta Sultanate,
complete with roads, soldiers, princes, vehicles, and domesticated animals.
Besides the rulers, the palace is said to also be populated by the spirits of ancestors who
died as righteous people. The spirits of these ancestors are said to live in
the palace as royal servants (abdi dalem), occasionally visiting their
descendants in dreams to giveprophecies or warnings."
if you want to see how merapi eruption in 2010, on this.
