Semeru volcano (East Java): lava flow from growing dome

Activity, weak during the past months, seems to have picked up. A new lava flow has started to slowly descend the southeastern slope.
Since the intense explosive phase of activity in February 2012, accompanied by pyroclastic flows down the southern slope, a lava dome has been growing slowly inside the breached summit crater. This dome now started to form a more or less coherent lava lobe that began descending through the notch onto the upper southern slope. Weak glow is visible at night.
As a comparison of satellite images between 7 June and 16 July, compiled by Culture Volcan shows the progression of a tongue of hot material inside the ravine, likely a lava flow reaching 1,5-2 km length.
The presence of this flow has been causing almost constant rockfalls from the front of the flow into the Kembar ravine.
Lava flows are not uncommon at Semeru. Other recent ones occurred in 2010 and in March 2012.