Eruption of Slamet Volcano

Slamet Volcano, a stratovolcano, is the second highest volcano in Java and one of the most active. The gas invades the large summit made up of four craters almost all the time. Explorer Francis Drake sighted the volcano during his first exploration of the world while in the Java Sea. He immediately steered his boat towards the southern coasts of the island; as if the mountain had a power of attraction over him. Considered one of the most isolated places in Java, the vast lava field at the summit also gives us one of the most beautiful panoramas, allowing us to see both the south coast of the island and the north coast.

Local authorities have closed access to Mt Slamet to hikers since Monday March 10, 2014 due to an increase in volcanic activity. This abnormal activity appeared after a numerous series of earthquakes in the region which increased from 50 to around 200 per day. The first explosion occurred Monday evening at 8:06 p.m. Shortly after, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) raised the status from normal to alert (2 on a scale of 1 to 4), with a danger zone assessed at 2 km around the volcano . Since then, the Central Java Disaster Mitigation Center (BPBD) has prepared evacuation routes and shuttles in response to the volcanic activity.

“Gunung Slamet” literally means “the secure mountain”. “Slamet” is a Javanese variant of the Malay/Indonesian word “selamat” meaning “saved from danger”. In the Slamet Volcano region, local tradition records that in pre-Islamic times, the volcano was called “Gunung Gora”. In Javanese “gora” is a somewhat archaic word which means horrible, frightening, intimidating. It is very likely that when the people of the region converted to Islam (probably in the 1500s) the forbidden name of the mountain inherited from the Hindu-Buddhist period was changed to the more reassuring Islamic name of "Gunung Slamet.” The volcano is located almost in the middle of the island halfway between the south coast and the north coast. A myth says that the eruption of Mount Slamet will “split” the island of Java into two parts. Although it is mythological, the result would be terrible! The eastern and western tectonic plates of the island would split. A large north-south crack would appear allowing water to enter. We would then have two Java. According to the story of Abraham Mudito.