Mount Muria



Mount Muria or Gunung Muria is a dormant stratovolcano type mountain on the north coast of Central Java, Indonesia, about 66 km north of Semarang City. It falls between three Regencies: Jepara on the west, Kudus on the south, and Pati on the east. Some sources state the mountain has a height of 1602 m, some state 1625 m.

Mount Muria was once an island, separated from Java by the Muria Strait. The strait was one of the spice trade routes connecting the Middle East with Maluku and was probably traveled by Tomé Pires on his voyage to Java. The strait closed around 1657.

In 1979, the northern side of the mountain was chosen by the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) [id] as a location for the construction of a nuclear power plant, with the understanding that the risk of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were small compared to other parts of Java and Bali. The plant's placement also took into consideration electricity consumption in Central Java. Earthquakes that rocked Mount Muria in the 2010s put an end to the development plan.

The mountain last erupted in 160 BCE.

Geology
Mount Muria is associated with the Miocene subduction zone, not an active subduction zone, with the Benioff zone approximately 325 km deep. There was, however, still magma activity in 2000, based on temperature maps of the Muria peninsula.

Mount Muria is historically comparable to Mount Genuk [id], another volcano on the Muria peninsula, located in Donorojo [id]: both produce coherent lava, and have both lava plugs and domes as well as maars at the foot of each volcano and in the surrounding plains. Volcanic breccias, lapilli and tuff can also be found around the mountain, with densities around 2.4g/cm3.

Abandoned nuclear project
From 1976 to 2015 there was a plan to build a nuclear power plant on Mount Muria. Construction was scheduled to begin in 1997 but halted due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In 2007, construction was scheduled to begin again but was halted by a sudden outbreak of anti-nuclear protests. After the protests continued for several months, the local branch of Nahdlatul Ulama denounced the project to build on the sacred mountain. They declared that the government's plan was haram because it would force Indonesia to import foreign uranium, hire foreign experts to manage the plant, and pay the costs to dismantle the plant and store the nuclear waste indefinitely. The national chairman of NU refused to support the local decision, but said that NU would not overrule a finding by a local branch about matters exclusively pertaining to the local branch.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Indonesian government suspended the project. In 2015 the project was permanently halted after nearly 40 years of planning. Indonesia no longer has active nuclear projects.