The Scientific Discovery of Merapi: From Ancient Javanese Sources to the 21st Century

Abstract

Merapi is Indonesia’s most active volcano and one of the most iconic volcanoes worldwide. Renowned for its almost continuous eruptive activity and its magnificent summit dome as well as the frequent occurrence of hazardous nuées ardentes (pyroclastic density currents; PDCs) produced by lava dome failure, Merapi has influenced the life of the Javanese people and local cultures since ancient times and attracted explorers and researchers from around the globe since the scientific enlightenment in the eighteenth century. This reverence and its prominent role in volcano research, which continued throughout the Dutch occupation and up to the present time, have made Merapi the most intensely studied and best monitored volcano in Indonesia, and one of the best studied volcanoes in the world. Merapi has therefore played a crucial role in advancing not only the scientific understanding of the volcano itself but has also brought forward the discipline of volcanology with respect to understanding of dome-forming eruptions at andesite volcanoes and PDCs as well as regarding assessment and mitigation of associated hazards. This chapter summarises the journey of scientific discovery and volcano monitoring at Merapi, from ancient sources to modern day research efforts, and aims to highlight the major episodic advances in our knowledge and understanding of Indonesia’s famous ‘Mountain of Fire’.