Mount Ibu Halmahera Eruption Launches Incandescent Lava For One Kilometer

JAKARTA - Mount Ibu, located northwest of Halmahera Island, North Maluku, erupted two kilometers high in volcanic ash and launched incandescent lava for 500 meters to one kilometer.

Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Hendra Gunawan said the eruption occurred tonight at 22.00 WIT.

"A high beam of about 600 meters above the peak," he said in a statement quoted by ANTARA, Friday, February 2.

Hendra said the eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 28 milliliters and a duration of up to 2 minutes 20 seconds.

The column of volcanic ash that soared was gray to black with thick intensity leaning towards the southwest.

Currently, Mount Ibu is at level II status or alert to the recommendations of the community around Mount Ibu 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.

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

Mount Ibu is a volcano with a volcano strato type which has a height of 1,325 meters above sea level located northwest of Halmahera Island, North Maluku.

The top of the mountain is a volcanic crater. The crater center has a width of 1 kilometer and a depth of 400 meters, while the outer part has a width of 1.2 kilometers.

Throughout 2023, Mount Ibu occupies the position of the two most active volcanic eruptions in Indonesia. The volcano experienced an eruption of 21,100 times.

PVMBG reminds the public to always be aware of the flow of lahars on rivers that head up to the top of Mount Ibu and always coordinate with local volcanic observation posts.