Volcano World

Kelut is an active stratovolcano on the east side of the island of Java. The Chinese recorded five eruptions of Kelut in the 14th century. Kelut has erupted 15 times in the last 200 years. The most recent eruption, in 1990, was explosive ( VEI=4) and produced a large cloud and heavy tephra fall. Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated before the eruption started. At least 32 people were killed, most by the collapse of their homes under the weight of tephra. More than 500 homes and 50 schools were destroyed. Pyroclastic flows reached 4-5 miles (7-8 km) away from the volcano. Fist-sized tephra fell 35 miles (55 km) southwest of the volcano. Dense tephra reached at least 7 miles (12 km) above the volcano. Subsequent lahars buried land used for agriculture. This photograph shows the crater lake of Kelut volcano. Photograph by John Dvorak, U.S. Geological Survey, March 11, 1982.

Sources of Information:

Simkin, T., and Siebert, L., 1994, Volcanoes of the World: Geoscience Press, Tucson, AZ, 349 p.

SEAN, 1990, Summary of recent volcanic activity: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 52, no. 5, p. 407.