TOMOGRAPHY EXPERIMENT PROJECT

In June-August, 1997 and 1998, Geophysics UGM, cooperate with Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kegunungapian Yogyakarta (Vulcanological Survey of Indonesia) and GeoForschungZentrum Potsdam Germany, have done seismic tomography experiment on Merapi Volcano. 

Seismic tomography experiment conducted on the Merapi Volcano is mainly to deduct the inner structure of the volcano. The velocity structure will be discovered by doing this experiment. After getting the velocity structure in a three dimensional pictorial, the static parameter of the Merapi Volcano, the density will be discovered accordingly. The seismic tomography experiment is established in the frame of the Merapi Research Project conducted jointly between Indonesian and German research institutions and universities. The Seismic tomography project itself is coordinated through ASE (Active Seismic Experiment on Merapi Volcano).

On the previous experiments, the seismic sources were artificial sources using airgun operated in water basins. The seismic line is extended from the source points at an elevation of about 1100 m above msl to the elevation of about 2200 m above msl. All the proposed seismic lines will cover the body of the volcano and of a cone-like shape. The fact that the water basins were not standing so rigidly against the airgun power and the difficulty on providing enough water for the airgun to work properly have make us aware and think about finding other kind of artificial sources like dynamit.