Indonesia's Mount Merapi acts up but no eruption yet

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2006

JAKARTA (AFP) — Volcanic rocks have tumbled down from the peak of Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi volcano but its "standby" status remains unchanged, a vulcanologist said.

The avalanche of rocks created a thin layer of dust that fell on two hamlets located on the western slope of the 2,914-meter (9,560-foot) volcano Friday, said Dewi Sri from the vulcanology office in Yogyakarta.

"It is not an ash rain caused by an emission of deadly hot clouds. The rocks were emitted by Merapi during its last eruption in 2001," Sri told AFP from the ancient royal town located 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) south of Merapi.

Merapi has been on standby alert for more than two weeks, one level below that which would require a mandatory evacuation for more than 29,000 people...