Merapi – stratovolcano, Indonesia

About the volcano

Merapi rises only a few tens of kilometres from Yogyakarta, and hundreds of villages lie on its slopes. Its typical activity is the slow growth of a lava dome in the crater, pieces of which break off and fall as hot avalanches of gas and rock – such flows are even called “Merapi-type”. In 2010 its strongest eruption in over a century killed around 350 people despite the evacuation of hundreds of thousands. Since late 2020 a dome has again been growing in the crater, and the volcano is constantly monitored by Indonesia's geological agency.

Eruption history

VEI – Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0 = lava outpouring, 4 = like Eyjafjallajökull 2010, 6 = like Pinatubo 1991, 7 = like Tambora 1815. The scale is logarithmic – each step is about 10 times more material.

Start	End	VEI	Vent and dating
31 December 2020	continuing	1	Observations: Reported
11 May 2018	21 June 2020	3	Summit crater · Observations: Reported
9 March 2014	20 April 2014	3	Summit crater · Observations: Reported
18 November 2013	18 November 2013	3	Summit crater · Observations: Reported
22 July 2013	22 July 2013	1	Summit crater · Observations: Reported
25 March 2011	8 September 2011	1	Summit crater · Observations: Photo / Video
26 October 2010	29 November 2010	4	Summit crater · Observations: Reported
16 March 2006	9 August 2007	1	Observations: Reported
20 January 1992	19 October 2002	2	NW of 1984 lava dome · Observations: Reported
10 October 1986	16 August 1990	2	Observations: Reported
6 October 1972	16 March 1985	2	Observations: Reported
12 January 1967	2 July 1970	2	Upper Batang breach (2600 m) · Observations: Reported
11 April 1961	28 November 1961	3	Observations: Reported
2 March 1953	16 December 1958	2	Observations: Reported
29 September 1948	16 December 1948	2	Observations: Reported
30 May 1942	16 May 1945	2	Observations: Reported
13 December 1939	16 September 1940	2	Observations: Reported
1 October 1933	16 April 1935	2	Observations: Reported
16 November 1932	—	1	Observations: Reported
25 November 1930	16 September 1931	3	Observations: Reported
10 September 1924	12 September 1924	1	Observations: Reported
18 February 1922	8 August 1922	1	Observations: Reported
25 July 1920	16 February 1921	2	Observations: Reported
16 January 1918	—	1	Observations: Reported
28 March 1915	15 May 1915	1	Observations: Reported
1 February 1909	16 May 1913	1	West dome · Observations: Reported
16 July 1908	—	1	Observations: Reported
26 January 1906	17 February 1907	2	Summit and upper east flank (2600 m) · Observations: Reported
16 January 1905	1 June 1905	2	Observations: Reported
16 December 1902	20 June 1904	2	Observations: Reported
3 February 1902	3 February 1902	1	Observations: Reported
2 July 1897	—	2	Observations: Reported
16 October 1894	—	1	Observations: Reported
27 January 1894	2 February 1894	2	Observations: Reported
16 October 1893	—	1	Observations: Reported
25 August 1891	2 July 1892	2	Observations: Reported
2 July 1889	—	1	Observations: Reported
18 August 1888	20 December 1888	2	Observations: Reported
24 February 1885	2 July 1887	1	Observations: Reported
16 January 1883	16 November 1884	1	East dome · Observations: Reported
2 July 1878	20 June 1879	2	Observations: Reported
3 November 1872	16 January 1873	2	Observations: Reported
15 April 1872	21 April 1872	4	Observations: Reported
24 October 1865	16 August 1871	2	Observations: Reported
26 May 1862	2 July 1864	2	Observations: Reported
2 July 1861	—	2	Observations: Reported
14 September 1849	24 September 1849	3	Observations: Reported
26 April 1849	26 April 1849	2	Observations: Reported
2 September 1846	16 October 1847	3	Summit and upper SE flank (2600 m) · Observations: Reported
6 April 1846	—	2	Observations: Reported
4 January 1840	—	1	Observations: Reported
10 August 1837	16 June 1838	2	Observations: Reported
25 December 1832	2 July 1836	2	Observations: Reported
18 December 1828	19 December 1828	2	Observations: Reported
27 December 1822	6 April 1823	3	Observations: Reported
2 July 1812	2 July 1822	1	Observations: Reported
2 July 1810	—	1	Observations: Reported
2 July 1807	—	1	Observations: Reported
1797	—	1	Observations: Reported
c. 1791	—	2	Observations: Reported
17 July 1786	—	1	Observations: Reported
19 August 1768	—	2	Observations: Reported
1755	—	2	Observations: Reported
1752	—	2	Observations: Reported
1745	—	2	Observations: Reported
19 August 1678	—	3	Observations: Reported
1677	—	3	Observations: Reported
4 August 1672	—	3	Observations: Reported
31 December 1663	—	3	Observations: Reported
1658	—	3	Observations: Reported
1587	—	3	Observations: Reported
1584	—	3	Observations: Reported
1560	—	3	Observations: Reported
1554	—	3	Observations: Reported
1548	—	3	Observations: Reported
1480 ± 300 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1440 ± 100 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1380 ± 300 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1300 ± 75 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1230 ± 200 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1190 ± 30 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1140 ± 150 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1090 ± 100 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1010 ± 25 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
940 ± 100 years	—	3	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
870 ± 100 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
680 ± 200 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
630 ± 30 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
540 ± 50 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
480 ± 75 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
410 ± 150 years	—	3	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
280 ± 150 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
190 ± 300 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
120 ± 75 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
20 ± 300 years	—	4	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
340 BCE ± 500 years	—	3	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
700 BCE ± 150 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1,010 BCE ± 200 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1,180 BCE ± 75 years	—	4	Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)
1,410 BCE ± 50 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1,770 BCE ± 75 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
1,890 BCE ± 55 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
2,910 BCE ± 150 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
4,690 BCE ± 75 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
7,310 BCE ± 300 years	—	?	Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)
8,780 BCE ± 150 years	—	?	Old Merapi · Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

Data: Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution (#263250) · Wikipedia (pl) · Wikipedia (en)