Marapi

July 5, 1992 Eruption of Marapi

July 5, 1992 · VEI 2 · 1 death

Marapi in Indonesia erupted on July 5, 1992 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 1 person.

Where it erupted

Marapi, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date
July 5, 1992
Volcano
Marapi, complex volcano
Country
Indonesia
Volcanic Explosivity Index
2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by
Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location
0.380° S, 100.474° E

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
5

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.

One person was killed and 5 injured by volcanic bombs during climb to summit. (reference #9675)

An explosion on 5 July killed one person and injured five others.

Activity in June began with an explosion on the 1st. Continuous tremor followed, and on 6 June at 0227 another explosion occurred. Repeated explosions then deposited ~0.5 mm of ash on Bukittinggi. On 25 June, witnesses 2 km from the volcano (at the Batu Palano Volcano Observatory) heard a detonation and saw glow. A brownish-black cauliflower-shaped plume rose 1,800 m above the summit. During June, 45 deep and 312 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 108 volcanic tremor episodes, and 2,104 explosion earthquakes were recorded. The strongest explosion occurred on 5 July at 0912. Bukittinggi and vicinity were covered by 0.5-1.5 mm of ash several hours later, with ash in some areas reaching 2 mm thickness. Ash also extended to Padang, ~10 km SW of the crater. Bombs killed one person, seriously injured three, and caused minor injuries to two others. The victims had climbed to the summit without consultation with the Mt. Marapi Volcano Observatory or local authorities, although a hazard warning had been in effect since 1987. (reference #2432)

Other significant eruptions of Marapi

More

Every eruption in 1992The 1900sMarapiEarthquakes near MarapiThis 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 2372.