Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo
About
Mount Bromo (Indonesian: Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia.
At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif,
but is the most well known. The massif area is one of the most visited
tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.
Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a vast plain called the "Sea of Sand" (Javanese: Segara Wedi or Indonesian: Lautan Pasir), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang.
From there it is possible to walk to the volcano in about 45 minutes,
but it is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a
stop at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (2,770 m or 9,088 ft) (Indonesian: Gunung Penanjakan). The viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan can also be reached on foot in about two hours. From inside the caldera, sulfur is collected by workers.
Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre
for Vulcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings
against visiting Mount Bromo.
Culture
On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java,
travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice,
vegetables, flowers and sacrifices of livestock to the mountain gods by
throwing them into the caldera of the volcano.
The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century legend where a
princess named Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her
husband, Joko Seger. The couple were childless and therefore beseeched
the assistance of the mountain gods. The gods granted them 24 children
but stipulated that the 25th child, named Kesuma, must be thrown into
the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented. The
tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these
ancient deities continues today and is called the Yadnya Kasada
ceremony. Though fraught with danger, some locals risk climbing down
into the crater in an attempt to recollect the sacrificed goods that
they believe could bring them good luck.
On the Segara Wedi sand plain sits a Hindu temple
called Pura Luhur Poten. The temple holds a significant importance to
the Tenggerese scattered across the mountain villages, such as
Ngadisari, Wonokitri, Ngadas, Argosari, Ranu Prani, Ledok Ombo and
Wonokerso. The temple organises the annual Yadnya Kasada ceremony which
lasts for about one month. On the 14th day, the Tenggerese congregate at
Pura Luhur Poten to ask for blessings from Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa and
the God of Mahameru (Mount Semeru).
Then the crowd proceeds along the crater edges of Mt Bromo where
offerings are thrown into the crater. The major difference between this
temple and Balinese
ones are the type of stones and building materials. Pura Luhur Poten
uses natural black stones from volcanoes nearby, while Balinese temples
are mostly made from red bricks. Inside this pura, there are several
buildings and enclosures aligned in a mandala zone composition.
Activity
2004 eruptions
Mount Bromo erupted in 2004. That eruptive episode led to the death of two people who had been hit by rocks from the explosion.
2010 eruptions
On Tuesday, 23 November 2010, 16.30 WIB (Western Indonesian Time),
the Indonesian Centre of Vulcanology and Geology Hazard Mitigation
(CVGHM) confirmed the activity status of Mount Bromo at "alert" due to
increasing tremor activity and shallow volcanic earthquakes at the
mountain. Concerns were raised that a volcanic eruption might be likely to occur.
As a precaution local residents and tourists were instructed to remain
clear of an area within a radius of three kilometres from the caldera
and refugee encampments were erected. The area surrounding the Teggera
caldera of Bromo remained off-limits for visitors throughout the
remainder of 2010.
Bromo started to erupt ash on Friday 26 November 2010.
On 29 November 2010 Transport Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan announced that Malang's
domestic airport would be closed until 4 December 2010. Malang is a
city of about 800,000 people is about 25 km (16 mi) west of Mount Bromo.
Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport normally handles 10 daily domestic flights from the capital Jakarta.
Government volcanologist Surono reported that the volcano was spitting
columns of ash some 700 metres (2,300 feet) into the sky.
2011 eruptions
Mount Bromo eruption
The Tengger Caldera was still active in late January 2011, the
activity being characterised by fluctuating ongoing eruptions. On 23
January 2011 the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard
Mitigation (CVGHM) (Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi)
reported that since 19 December 2010 volcanic ash and incandescent
material had been thrown up by eruptive activity resulting in a heavy
rain of material that fell around the crater. Continuous eruptions on 21
January caused a thin ash fall mainly in the village areas of Ngadirejo
and Sukapura Wonokerto in Probolinggo district. The impact of a heavy
rain of volcanic ash from eruptions since 19 December 2010 resulted in
disruption of normal activities. By early 2011 concerns were being
raised concerning the effect upon the local economy and the potential
for long term environmental and health problems amongst the residents in
the locality surrounding Mount Bromo. Due to high seasonal rainfall in
January 2011 the potential for lahar
and lava flow was raised due to the deposits of volcanic ash, sand and
other ejected material that had built up. Seismic activity was dominated
by tremor vibration and reports of visual intensity and sounds of
eruption continued to be reported from the mountain monitoring facility,
Bromo Observation Post. People living on the banks of the Perahu
Ravine, Nganten Ravine and Sukapura River were alerted to the
possibility of lava flows, especially when it was raining heavily in the
area around Cemorolawang, Ngadisari and Ngadirejo. Eruptions and
volcanic tremors were reported on 21 January and 22 January with
activity subsiding on 23 January 2011. On 23 January 2011 at 06:00 am
the alert status at Mount Bromo remained at (Level III).
On 23 January 2011 an exclusion zone was recommended for communities
living around Mount Bromo. Tourists and hikers were to advised not to
come within a radius of 2 km from the active crater. CVGHM stated that
they expected warning signs to be installed stating the limit radius of
2 km from the crater. Operational caution was recommended for flights
into and leaving Juanda International Airport IATA:SUB in Surabaya.
CVGHM recommended the establishment of public areas for the provision
of face masks and eye protection. CVGHM also issued a warning to
residents to be cautious of ash build up on roofs and other places that
may give cause for collapse under the burden of ash.
Further eruptions and the issuing of Aviation Ash advisories on 27
January and 28 January 2011 led to concerns being raised regarding a
volcanic ash plume, reported to be drifting eastward toward the air
corridors used to access the Ngurah Rai International Airport IATA:DPS in Bali. Airport official Sherly Yunita was reported at the time as stating that concerns about visibility had prompted Singapore Airlines, Jetstar-ValueAir, Air France-KLM, Virgin Blue and Cathay Pacific to cancel several flights to Bali, 340 km (211 mi) to the east.[8][9] SilkAir also cancelled flights on the 27 January between Singapore and Lombok, an island to the east of Bali.[10] The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Australia
released several Code Red Aviation Ash Advisories pertaining to Mount
Bromo (Tengger Caldera), on 27 January. They indicated that ash was
observed at altitudes up to 18,000 ft (FL180) extending 200 nautical mi
to the south east of the caldera. In other ash advisories of that day
the cloud was reported as at times having a 10 km/h drift, both to the
east, and to the south east.
Crater Mount Bromo 1
Crater Mount Bromo 2
