Merapi Volcano Photos

- Eruption in May 2006: Glowing lava dome and pyroclastic flows -

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Glowing rock falls on the SW and SE sides of Merapi seen during the night from the SE side at the village of Bebeng.

Pyroclastic flow travelling down the Krasak ravine; at the beginning, it is preceded by a glowing rock-fall.
The billowing ash clouds at the front of the flow.		Ash cloud rising above the pyroclastic flow.
Shortly after the earthquake (the same one that hit Yogyakarta), a number of larger pyroclastic flows are triggered from the lava dome. Not aware of the destructive nature of the earthquake (we thought it was a local event under the volcano), excitement at the extraordinary sight mix with panic as we are vividly reminded the mountain itself might be unstable and that a much larger flow might be waiting - as it in fact had, but fortunately not for us...
Ash is whirled up when parts of the lava dome disintegrate to produce yet another flow.	Fortunately, only small flows and rock-falls occur towards our side (a week later, a ridge made of a part of an older dome, which until then had prevented most flows from entering this direction, collapsed)
The thin, rapidly advancing tongues of pyroclastic flows, made of turbulent ash clouds mixed with glowing debris.

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