April 30, 1979 Eruption of Marapi

Name: April 30, 1979 Eruption of Marapi
Start: 1979-04-30
Location: Marapi, Indonesia

April 30, 1979 · VEI 2 · 80 deaths

Marapi in Indonesia erupted on April 30, 1979 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 80 people.

Where it erupted

Marapi, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: April 30, 1979
Volcano: Marapi, complex volcano
Country: Indonesia
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by: Mudflows and lahars
Location: 0.380° S, 100.474° E

The toll

Deaths: 80

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.

About 300 mm of rainfall mobilized old lahar deposit and other volcanic material on N and E flanks. Landslides traveled as much as 20 km downslope and damaged 5 villages and farmland. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Marapi

Every eruption in 1979 The 1900s Marapi Earthquakes near Marapi This 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 7578.