Volcano Mt. Merapi

Mt. Merapi, meaning the "Mountain Of Fire", was located just 18 miles north of the city of Yogyakarta. The volcano was known for its volatility. In 2006, Mt. Merapi erupted and killed two people. Before that in 1994, 70 people were killed. In 1930, it claimed 1,300 lives. According to the record, Mt. Merapi had been erupting since 1548.

Mt. Merapi was about 10,000 feet high. These exposed volcanic rocks were left from previous lava flows.

This panorama view was taken on the south side of the crater at the 3,700-foot level. The barren land was the result of the 2006 lava flows. The gulch in the middle was a reservoir but now filled with volcanic debris.

On close up, here was a 10-foot lava boulder sitting on what used to be the rim of the dam.

This was the remnant of one of the many houses destroyed in the 2006 eruption. Note the snapped reinforcing bars (rebars) on top of the wall and the holes in the wall which were PVC water pipes melted by the fire during the eruption.

Government built a number of reinforced bunkers below the volcano for the villagers to take cover in the event of an eruption. Unfortunately the only two casualties in the 2006 eruption were found inside the bunker probably died of asphyxiation and not by the molten lava or burning volcanic ashes.

Miraculously, one building did survive the 2006 eruption and now stood in the middle of emptiness.

An ultra-modern and well equipped museum was opened in early 2010 in the foothill of Mt. Merapi to commemorate the many eruptions of the "Mountain Of Fire". It was used to educate, and to preserve historical photos and documents.

The skeleton of a motorcycle recovered after the 2006 eruption was on display in the museum. All non-metallic parts were melted.

Museum staffs conducted educational tours on the science; the formation; and the distributions of volcanoes in Indonesia and to underscore the relationship and the proximity of Mt. Merapi to the "Pacific Ring Of Fire".

On Oct 25, 2010, two weeks after the visit, lava oozed down the south side of the mountain, killing 353 people. Volcanic hot ashes also fell on much of Yogyakarta and shut down the international airport at times. Mt. Merapi was closed off to local residents, visitors and the outside world. (This photo was provided by CNN-AFP-Getty, 2010)