PVMBG reported that the eruption at Semeru continued during 29 December 2021 to 4 January 2022. Crater incandescence was visible during the nights of 31 December-4 January. At 0431 on 31 December a pyroclastic flow was generated from the end of the lava flow and an ash plume that rose 2 km above the summit drifted N. A pyroclastic flow descended the Kobokan drainage a maximum distance of 5 km SE on 1 January. Gray-and-white ash plumes rose as high as 800 m above the summit during 3-4 January and drifted in multiple directions. A pyroclastic flow traveled 5 km SE. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4). The public was warned to stay at least 500 m away from Kobokan drainages within 17 km of the summit, and other drainages originating on Semeru including the Bang, Kembar, and Sat, due to lahar, avalanche, and pyroclastic flow hazards.

Geological Summary. Semeru, the highest volcano on Java, and one of its most active, lies at the southern end of a volcanic massif extending north to the Tengger caldera. The steep-sided volcano, also referred to as Mahameru (Great Mountain), rises above coastal plains to the south. Gunung Semeru was constructed south of the overlapping Ajek-ajek and Jambangan calderas. A line of lake-filled maars was constructed along a N-S trend cutting through the summit, and cinder cones and lava domes occupy the eastern and NE flanks. Summit topography is complicated by the shifting of craters from NW to SE. Frequent 19th and 20th century eruptions were dominated by small-to-moderate explosions from the summit crater, with occasional lava flows and larger explosive eruptions accompanied by pyroclastic flows that have reached the lower flanks of the volcano.

Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)