Occurred During Water Contact With Magma, Lontaran Freatic Eruption Of Mount Lokon Reaches 1.5 Km

Mount Lokon in Tomohon City, North Sulawesi. (ANTARA/Karel A Polakitan)

SULUT - Residents around Mount Lokon in Tomohon City, North Sulawesi (Sulut), were asked to be aware of the phreatic eruption.

"Currently, Mount Lokon is still in Level II Alert status, there is still the potential for phreatic eruptions and material ejections to occur," said Head of the Central Volcano Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Team (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Ahmad Basuki in Manado, Friday, November 17, confiscated by Antara.

The phreatic eruption, he said, could occur if there was water in contact with magma in the crater.

Therefore, what residents can do, he continued, is not to enter the recommended hazard radius of PVMBG.

"Residents are expected not to enter a radius of 1.5 kilometers from Tompaluan Crater. The eruption material can reach this radius," he said.

If there is a fire in the crater, he said, because of the solfatara that caught fire or gas appeared at high temperatures to the surface. However, there is no magma that broke through to the top.

PVMBG recommends three things when Mount Lokon has Alert status, namely the public and tourists not to approach and carry out activities within a radius of 1.5 kilometers from Tompaluan Crater (activity center).

Furthermore, if there is an eruption and ash rain, people are advised to stay indoors, and if they are outside the house, they are advised to use a nose and mouth (mask) and eyes (glasses).