Mount Ibu In North Maluku Erupts, Lontaran Abu As High As 1.1 Kilometers

Illustration - PVMBG recorded the eruption activity that occurred on Mount Ibu, Halmahera Island, North Maluku, Monday (2/10/2023). BETWEEN/HO-PVMBG

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reported an eruption with ash ejecting as high as 1.1 kilometers out of the crater of Mount Ibu in North Maluku.

"The ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity to the east. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with an amplitude of a maximum of 28 millimeters and a duration of 56 seconds," said Mount Ibu Observation Post Officer, Effrita Lusy Andriany Saragih, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, October 6.

The location of the closest settlement is at a distance of six to seven kilometers from the crater of Mount Ibu.

Mount Ibu is a volcano-type volcano that has an altitude of 2,825 meters above sea level. The crater center has a width of one kilometer and a depth of 400 meters, while the outside has a width of 1.2 kilometers.

Mount Ibu is level II or alert from December 10, 2013 until now.

PVMBG noted that 38 eruptions came out of the crater of the most active volcano on Halmahera Island.

Effrita appealed to the public not to move within a two-kilometer radius and to expand sectorally within 3.5 kilometers towards the crater opening in the northern part of the active crater of Mount Ibu.

"If there is ash rain, people who are active outside the home are advised to use the nose, mouth (mask) and eyes (glasses)," he said.