Merapi Mountain

Indonesia's Mount Merapi is the nation's second most active volcano and has great spiritual significance for those living on its fertile slopes.

Merapi, which means "Mountain of Fire", typically has small eruptions every two to three years, and larger ones about once every 10 to 15 years.


Its last major eruption was in 1994, when 66 people were killed. It also spewed smoke and lava in 2001 but no major eruption followed.

Located about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Jakarta in Central Java province, it looms over the Kedu plain and provides rich, bountiful soils for the thousands of people living around it.
Merapi holds particular significance for the Javanese as it is one of four places where officials from the royal palaces of Java's Yogyakarta and Solo make annual offerings to placate the spirits of ancient Javanese mythology.

Superstitious Javanese believe that a volcano's eruption is the result of spirits being angered by not receiving sufficient offerings or by a disrespectful attitude among the people living on its slopes.

Traditional beliefs hold that Merapi will only erupt after certain omens, some of which appear in dreams, leaving many residents reluctant to leave without them becoming apparent.

A new lava dome has been rapidly forming at the peak of 2,914-metre (9,616-foot) Mount Merapi, growing 75 metres in two weeks. The volcano was put on "stand-by" status one month ago.http://www.terradaily.com