Semeru
Semeru, 1985
Semeru
Elevation	3,676 metres (12,060 ft)
Location	Java, Indonesia
Prominence	3,676 m
Coordinates	8°6′28.8″S 112°55′12″E / 8.108°S 112.92°E / -8.108; 112.92Coordinates: 8°6′28.8″S 112°55′12″E / 8.108°S 112.92°E / -8.108; 112.92
Type	Stratovolcano (active)
Last eruption	2008 (continuing)
First ascent	Unknown
Easiest route	hike
Listing	Ultra Ribu

Semeru also Mount Semeru or Gunung Semeru - located in East Java is the highest mountain on the island of Java, Indonesia and one of its most active volcanoes.

Known also as Mahameru the (Great Mountain), it is very steep rising abruptly above the coastal plains of eastern Java. Maars containing crater lakes have formed along a line through the summit of the volcano. Semeru lies at the south end of the Tengger Volcanic Complex.

Contents 1 Eruptions 2 Mythology 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Eruptions

Semeru's eruptive history is extensive. Since 1818, at least 55 eruptions have been recorded (10 of which resulted in fatalities) consisting of both lava flows and pyroclastic flows. Moderate explosive eruptions (VEI 2-3) have also been recorded with some regularity.

Semeru has been in a state of near-constant eruption from 1967 to the present. At times, small eruptions happen every 10 minutes or so. ^[1]

Semeru is regularly climbed by tourists, usually starting from the village of Ranu Pane to the north, but though non-technical it can be dangerous. Soe Hok Gie, an Indonesian political activist of the 1960s died in 1969 from inhaling poisonous gases while hiking on Mount Semeru.

[edit] Mythology

Semeru is named from Sumeru, the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. In legend it was transplanted from India; the tale is recorded in the 16th-century East Javanese work Tantu Panggelaran. It was originally placed in the western part of the island, but that caused the island to tip, so it was moved eastward. On that journey, parts kept coming off the lower rim, forming the mountains Lawu, Wilis, Kelut, Kawi, Arjuno and Welirang. The damage thus caused to the foot of the mountain caused it to shake, and the top came off and created Penanggungan as well.

[edit] See also

• List of volcanoes in Indonesia
• Volcanological Survey of Indonesia‎

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• "Semeru". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0603-30=. 
• Holt, Claire. Art in Indonesia: Continuities and Change. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967. Page 36 explains the mythological aspect of the mountain.

[edit] External links

Bromo-Tengger-Semeru_National_Park travel guide from Wikitravel

• Satellite picture by Google Maps
• Semeru