Asia - Mount Merapi

Just wondering if Mount Merapi eruption will have any effect on a Bali vacation? It seems about 500 miles away? Thoughts?

Thanks!

You've answered your own question. It's 500 miles away. It will have no effect.

I was wondering the same thing. Distance alone does not mean that the volcano, which may be headed toward a devastating eruption judging by the gathering lava dome, will have no effect on relatively nearby travel. Let's recall that the earthquake off Sumatra wrought tragedy thousands of miles away. Krakatoa, at the opposite end of Java in the Sunda Strait, hurled disaster into the air and rained it down on communities far away without the mega-tsunami.

The distance between the volcano and Bali, plus the inland location of Mount Merapi, made me think it probably won't have much effect. But it still might in one particular way: flight patterns. The volcano in Alaska four months ago disrupted lots of trans-pacific air traffic, and Mt. St. Helens damaged an awful lot of aircraft before airlines started flying around it. So, any word on whether the volcano is forcing airlines fly wide of the area on the popular routes between, say, Singapore and Bali? Or is the specific kind of eruption unlikely to produce such results-- a primarily lava-based affair rather than ash spit into the atmosphere?

Out of curiosity (I'm heading to Bali in two weeks, but that's the only place in Indonesia I'm going), how close is Mount Merapi to Yogyakarta? Is travel to that location being disrupted? I believe Jakarta is upwind and thus not affected; is that right?

A quick google search partially answered my own question: According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Merapi), Yogyakarta is "very close" to Mount Merapi, about 20 miles away.

Any reports of travel disruptions in Yogyakarta's resorts and cultural sites? If I had plans to visit, I'd be looking elsewhere now, I must admit.

You've answered your own question. It's 500 miles away. It will have no effect.


I wasn't sure if 500 miles away would or would not be significant. I don't recall, but I thought when Mt. St.Helen's erupted we had ash fall out all the way down in Northern California? I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Obviously, I was curious about this issue before SF1K's post, and I remain so. It occurred to me that, judging by the mileage earned on SIN-DPS (about 1000) and what little I know about Yogyakarta's location vaguely in eastern Java, 500 miles seemed a little high. Consulting the Great Circle Mapper system yielded the following:

From To Distance
DPS (08°44'53"S 115°10'02"E) JOG (07°47'17"S 110°25'54"E) 331 mi

Granted, Yogyakarta is about 20 miles from the volcano, but Ngurah Rai International Airport is located pretty much in the middle of the tourist areas of Bali (Juta, Legian, Seminyak, and Ubud to the North; Jimbaran and Nusa Dua to the South), so the 331 miles should be a good yardstick.

So SF1K has raised a serious question. Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge?

Once again partially answering my own question, it occurred to me that the US Embassy in Jakarta ought to have posted a Warden Message about Mount Merapi's rumblings, and it has (http://www.usembassyjakarta.org/news/warden051206.html)...

U.S. Embassy Jakarta
U.S. Consulate General Surabaya

Warden Message [released May 12, 2006]


The U.S. Embassy informs Americans in Indonesia that as of May 12, 2006 the Indonesian Center for Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation still maintains the alert status for Mt. Merapi Volcano in Central Java at Level 3. Authorities have stated that volcanic activity is increasing and that they may raise the alert status to Level 4 soon. Level 4 means an eruption is imminent and people should evacuate the area near the volcano immediately. On May 11, Indonesia's Vice President ordered local authorities to begin evacuation of people living in villages closest to the volcano. The Embassy urges Americans to avoid all areas within a 12-kilometer (7.5 mile) radius of Mt. Merapi and to obey all instructions from Indonesian authorities in the volcano zone. Authorities have forbidden climbing on Mt. Merapi until further notice, and advised miners and local residents to evacuate all areas near the mountain.

As of May 12, 2006 Indonesian vulcanology experts do not consider the city of Yogyakarta to be in danger from lava flows when Mt. Merapi erupts. However, Americans residing in or visiting Yogyakarta should be aware that smoke and ash could disrupt air travel when Mt. Merapi erupts. Some people may experience respiratory difficulties from heavy smoke and ash in the air.

Updated information on volcanoes in Indonesia is available on the websites listed below. The Embassy encourages all Americans residing in or visiting areas near volcanoes to consult these websites frequently and to adhere to all safety instructions from Indonesian authorities.

http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/portal/html/index.php
http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/general_info/index.htm
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov

The Embassy reminds Americans that the information in the November 18, 2005 Travel Warning for Indonesia and in recent warden messages remains valid. All security-related Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, recent Embassy warden messages, and registration information are posted on the Embassy's website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov .

It seems like the particular kind of eruption expected soon will not threaten even nearby Yogyakarta (much), so it seems travelers to Bali don't have much to worry about unless a much-more-serious-than-expected eruption occurs.

Curiosity got the best of me today. :rolleyes:

I was in Jakarta on Friday and no problems there. :)

It is pretty reasonable to assume that anywhere within a couple hundred miles could have some issues with breathing from ash. Depending on what happens with wind patterns or any directional blast can also make a difference.

If you are travelling to central Java to visit Borobudur -- it could be risky mostly for health issues. The mountains and hiking around there are great, but if the air is filled with ash...

As indicated Bali is a long way away, so highly unlikely to have any danger from Merapi, but could be impacted due to previously stated posts, and / or govt's need to focus some help for the region and less focus on other areas.

It's got to be pretty amazing there. In 2000 I was in that area and did a few sketches from my hotel of Merapi -- which was smoking even back then.