The head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), Andiani, said that the activity of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the form of gas gusts from the Ecoma Crater located inside Kawah Ratu, West Java, was still ongoing until Sunday, February 13, 2022. a height of approximately 100 m," he said via text message.
The seismicity of Mount Tangkuban Parahu during January 1 to February 11, 2022 was marked by the recording of two shallow volcanic earthquakes, one low-frequency earthquake, and 80 gusts. The dominance of gust earthquakes during this period indicates hydrothermal activity under the body of the volcano.
The earthquake energy as reflected by the RSAM (real-time seismic amplitude measurement) graph fluctuates and does not show an increasing pattern at the end of the observation period. Observation of deformation using EDM (Electronic Distance Measurement) did not show any symptoms of inflation (bloating due to fluid rise) in the body of the volcano.
Meanwhile on February 12, 2022, a white gas gust with moderate pressure, about 100 m high from the bottom of the crater. The gas gusts that occur are thought to be caused by subsurface water or water that seeps below the surface, which is heated by hot rocks in the shallows below the crater surface and forms an accumulation of high pressure steam. As a result, there is "over pressure" and exits through the fracture as a weak zone, in the form of a fairly strong gust. White gusts indicate dominated by water vapor.
The dynamics of volcanic activity near the surface like this can occur due to changes in energy balance originating from internal and external factors. The internal factor comes from the vapor pressure of the magma rising from the depths. External factors can come from rainfall and the rate of evaporation/evaporation.
Currently the activity level of Mount Tangkuban Parahu is set at Level I (Normal), with a recommendation that people do not go down to the bottom of Kawah Ratu and do not approach or move around other active craters on Mount Tangkuban Parahu. This activity level will be re-evaluated over the next two to three days to anticipate if there are symptoms of a significant increase in volcanic activity.
Based on observations from the seismographs at the monitoring post, there was no increase in the activity of Mount Tangkuban Parahu after the hot steam or gas burst.
"For that activity, it's still normal if you look at the seismographs, we're just more aware of the fear that there will be an increase in activity," said Teten.
He said that currently some traders are still selling in the area of the Natural Tourism Park (TWA). However, his party appealed to visitors not to get too close to the crater rim.