Sulfur Smoke from Merapi Rises 500 Meters
Thursday, 20 April, 2006 | 15:30 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta: Smoke containing sulfur from the Mount Merapi volcano keeps rising.
At first it only reached 100 meters from the peak, but now it is rising to heights of 500 meters.

Moreover, if the smoke rises up vertically, it can reach more than 1,000 meters high.

Activity at the volcano has been increasing with lava flows and light volcanic quakes (VTBs) still high.
Nevertheless, officials have not seen any glowing lava as the base of magma flow direction.

“Sulfur smoke is thick and white. Now it can reach between 400 and 500 meters in height.

In addition, if it rises vertically, it can about one kilometer.

Based on existing data, sulfur dioxide emissions are at the level of 170 tons a day,” said Dr. Ratdomo Purbo, Head of the Yogyakarta Agency for the Assessment and Application of Volcano Technology (BPPTK), when interviewed at his office today (20/4).

He explained that Merapi's status was still on alert due to its very high activity.

From the earthquake data on April 19, said Ratdomo, it was listed at 113 times VTB, 36 times multiphase quake (MP), 13 times lava flows, and twice tectonic quakes.

Syaiful Amin