Viral Claim of Mount Lawu Mega Eruption Is a Hoax, Says PVMBG

A viral post claiming Mount Lawu is on a list of volcanoes expected to experience a major eruption in the near future due to a supposed rise in magma has been confirmed as a hoax by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari, Head of the Volcano Team at PVMBG, explained that Mount Lawu is a Type B volcano. This means it has no record of magmatic eruption after the year 1600. “Indeed, Mount Lawu is currently Type B. A Type B volcano is also called a volcano that has had a magmatic eruption at least once from the year 1600 backwards. So, since 1600, Mount Lawu has never erupted again,” she clarified.

She added that after investigation, her team found the source to be an account dedicated to spreading such hoaxes. “He doesn’t only post about volcanoes, but also about large earthquakes, tsunamis, and all sorts of things,” she said.

Unlike Type A volcanoes, Mount Lawu does not have an activity level status divided into normal, advisory, watch, and warning levels. These statuses only apply to Type A volcanoes, which are intensively monitored by PVMBG. “For Type B volcanoes, there is no activity level, activity degree, or status,” she stated.

PVMBG had previously received public reports regarding alleged anomalous activity on Mount Lawu. Following up on these reports, a team from the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) was deployed to conduct a geochemical survey, including gas measurements and other data analysis. However, the investigation results showed that conditions on Mount Lawu remain normal.