Visitors at Merapi, a steep stratovolcano north of Central Java's capital, Yogyakarta, on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo by Huang Shuo/chinadaily.com.cn] |
Merapi, a steep stratovolcano north of Central Java's capital, Yogyakarta, is Indonesia's most active volcano.
It erupts on average every 5-10 years and is feared for its deadly pyroclastic flows - avalanches of hot rocks and gas that are generated when parts of new lava domes constructed during eruptions in the summit's crater collapse and slide down the mountain's steep flanks.