Raung erupted 18 July, emitting dark clouds of tephra to 6,000 m. Activity apparently began with a weak earth tremor at about 0300, felt by inhabitants of the tea and coffee plantations on the slopes and in the areas around Kalibaru and Glenmore, at the S foot of the volcano. On 19 July at about 0500 an earthquake was felt, and inhabitants at the foot of Raung reported hearing two consecutive explosions. A seismograph post for Ijen Volcano (8.058°S, 114.242°W) at Pal Tuding, which also monitors Raung, registered vibrations with a maximum amplitude of 3.9 mm.

Two eruptions on 19 July were reported by a Garuda Airlines pilot flying from Jakarta (about 840 km NW of Raung) to Denpasar (on Bali, about 140 km SE) and back. One eruption occurred around 0511 and the other around 1130. The pilot estimated that columns of "smoke" reached 0.6-0.9 km height. Flights have been diverted from near the volcano.

Ash fell lightly all day, leaving a whitish coat on the leaves of tea and coffee plants. An employee of one tea plantation said part of the top leaves were damaged and withered. Light ashfall was reported until 20 July.

Geological Summary. Raung, one of Java's most active volcanoes, is a massive stratovolcano in easternmost Java that was constructed SW of the rim of Ijen caldera. The unvegetated summit is truncated by a dramatic steep-walled, 2-km-wide caldera that has been the site of frequent historical eruptions. A prehistoric collapse of Gunung Gadung on the W flank produced a large debris avalanche that traveled 79 km, reaching nearly to the Indian Ocean. Raung contains several centers constructed along a NE-SW line, with Gunung Suket and Gunung Gadung stratovolcanoes being located to the NE and W, respectively.

Information Contacts: Kompas, Jakarta; AFP.