Mt. Merapi

Mt. Merapi, 9,738 feet, is the most active volcano in Indonesia and one of the most active in the world. It has been erupting regularly for the past 550 years. Most recently Merapi erupted between the end of October 2010 and the first part of December 2010. Over 350 people were killed in the most recent eruption. Some people live as high up as 5600 feet on the mountain. Most days you can see a plume of smoke rising out of the crater at the top of the mountain. The first few pictures are from the internet of the eruption last year. What we saw was the layers of ash, downed vegetation and destruction of buildings and homes in the area. In the area we visited there was some new construction going on. Following are two You Tube videos I found online covering the most recent eruption. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIkyvU5ohow&feature=related; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVitigd74lM&feature=related. Reminded me a lot of what happened at Mt. St. Helens in 1980.























Mt. Merapi views during our visit.