MOUNT KELUD’S LETHAL LEGACY
EAST JAVA, INDONESIA
One of Mount Kelud’s most significant outbursts occurred over five centuries ago, in 1586. Though hosting a full crater lake, the volcano was ready to blow, with lethal power. The hot mudflows triggered by the eruption crushed and buried anything in their path, killing over 10,000. Following the eruption – the largest ever recorded from the volcano – no activity was recorded for the next 75 years.
Another deadly eruption occurred on 19 May 1919, releasing a relentless mudflow with temperatures around 1,000 degrees Celsius over East Java, killing over 5,000 people. Also known as a lahar, it moved at 37 miles per hour and was triggered by the eruption, which displaced the crater lake containing 40 million cubic metres of water at the summit. As the scalding water flowed down the volcano it combined with rock and mud to form a deadly cascade that swept through 100 villages.
The devastation of 1919 led to engineering work to build a tunnel into the volcano. This lowered the lake’s water level, with the water draining into the tunnel on the crater’s southwestern side. In later eruptions, this prevented such large volumes spilling out from the top.