Merapi is one of the world’s deadliest volcanoes. Its usual style of eruption is Pelean, which means its summit lava dome periodically collapses to form pyroclastic flows that destroy everything (and everyone) in their path. Merapi eruptions can last months to years and completely quiet intervals are rare. Usually there is some sort of activity, most commonly glowing rockfalls from the summit lava dome that cascade down the mountain, often at astonishing speeds. If true pyroclastic flows (or nuee ardentes, “glowing clouds”) are happening, leave the area immediately. A viewpoint overlooking a gorge at the edge of the danger zone near the town of Kaliurang is a common vantage point. Merapi can also be climbed, though paradoxically much of the activity is impossible to see from the summit due to the intervening lava domes that block the view of the glowing rockfalls. The densely populated plains below Merapi contain some of the world’s best Buddhist and Hindu temple ruins, the remnants of a civilization that declined following a catastrophic 11th century A.D. eruption. These include the World Heritage sites of Borobodur and Prambanan.-7.5

Written by  Mike Lyvers.

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