Mount Papandayan is a complex

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

, located in

Garut Regency Garut Regency is a Regency (Indonesia), regency in the Indonesian province of West Java. It covers an area of 3,065.19 km2 (1,186.91 mi2). Geographically, it lies between 6°5734 – 7°4457 South latitude and 107°2434 – 108° ...

, to the southeast of the city of

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

, Indonesia. It is about to the southwest of the town of Garut. At the summit, there are four large

crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...

s which contain active

fumarole A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

fields. An eruption in 1772 caused the northeast flank to collapse producing a catastrophic debris avalanche that destroyed 40 villages and killed nearly 3,000 people. The eruption truncated the volcano into a broad shape with two peaks and a flat area 1.1 km wide with Alun-Alun crater in the middle, making the mountain appear as a twin volcano; one of the peaks is called Papandayan and the other Mount Puntang. Since 1772, only small

phreatic eruption A phreatic eruption, also called a phreatic explosion, ultravulcanian eruption or steam-blast eruption, occurs when magma heats ground water or surface water. The extreme temperature of the magma (anywhere from ) causes near-instantaneous evap ...

s were recorded before an

explosive eruption In volcanology, an explosive eruption is a volcanic eruption of the most violent type. A notable example is the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Such eruptions result when sufficient gas has dissolved under pressure within a Viscosity, viscous ...

that began in November 2002. More recently, the volcano has been quite active. On 13 August 2011 the volcano's early warning status was lifted from Level II, "Vigilant" () to Level III, "Alert" () following the swarm of long-period events, the increase of volcano tectonic earthquake rate, and an extremely high percentage (100%) of measured

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

gas in the ground at the summit

. People, including tourists, were urged to remain at least from the yellow craters on the Mount Papandayan. On Friday 2 September 2011, the Indonesian Volcanology and Geophysical Disaster Mitigation Center reported that numerous shallow volcanic earthquakes had been recorded along with other indications of volcanic activity. A spokesperson for the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency noted that if Mt Papandayan erupted, over 170,000 people living in five nearby subdistricts () and in twenty villages could be affected. Of the people likely to be affected, it was expected that perhaps as many as 11,500 people might need to be evacuated.

Volcanism

Mount Papandayan is a large composite volcano. It is constructed of alternating layers of lava and ash, and other fragmental volcanic rock debris formed by explosive eruptions over the past several hundred years. A large horseshoe-shape crater extended to the northeast resulting in an avalanche deposit consisted of intermixed volcanic debris and alternated rocks, Kawah Manuk and many other with

solfatara A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

s emitting smoke and hot fumes from its inner sides.

Tourism

The Mount Papandayan area is a popular tourist site.Useful details are at the ''Gunung Bagging'
website for Papandayan
Information about ''Gunung Bagging'' activities is at Imogen Badgery-Parker,

''The Jakarta Post'', 6 December 2009. Tourists can walk across the crater and view phenomena such as bubbling mud pools, steam vents, and sulfur deposits. Papandayan Crater (), a bubbling yellow crater, is a popular sight. There are various other volcanic craters in the area to the south of Bandung as well. Another volcanic crater with easy access in the same region is Kawah Putih; it is in the nearby Bandung District to the west of Mt Papandayan. Above the crater is an

elfin forest A "natural National Park in the Philippines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site file:Mount Kemiri (8187817161).jpg, An elfin forest in Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem feat ...

and several meadows with Javanese Edelweiss.

References

External links

Information Papandayan on Facebook
{{authority control Active volcanoes of Indonesia Papandayan Tourist attractions in West Java Papandayan Articles containing video clips Holocene stratovolcanoes Cimanuk basin Cikandang basin

Volcanism

Tourism

See also

References

External links