Semeru

May 5, 1963 Eruption of Semeru

May 5, 1963 · VEI 2 · 1 death

Semeru in Indonesia erupted on May 5, 1963 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 1 person.

Where it erupted

Semeru, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date
May 5, 1963
Volcano
Semeru, stratovolcano
Country
Indonesia
Volcanic Explosivity Index
2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by
Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location
8.108° S, 112.922° E

The toll

Deaths
1

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Climber killed by ballistic block at summit.

Other significant eruptions of Semeru

More

Every eruption in 1963The 1900sSemeruEarthquakes near SemeruThis day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 201.