PVMBG: The Luncur Lava Distance Of Mount Lewotobi Men Increases Far

Mount Lewotobi Male in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, ejected volcanic ash on Thursday (18/1/2023). (ANTARA/HO-PVMBG)

Head of the Center Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Working Team (PVMBG) Ahmad Basuki said that the distance from the lava flow of Mount Lewotobi Laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, increased considerably. "The gliding range of lava flows is increasing, to the northeast for 3.7 kilometers, and that is a sign that there is still an increase in volcanic activity," he said at the Mount Lewotobi Male Observation Post in Wulangitang District, East Flores Regency, Antara, Thursday, January 18. Incandescent lava from Mount Lewotobi Male glided northeast for 3.5 kilometers from the eruption center according to PVMBG monitoring on Wednesday (17/1) at 18.00 WITA to 24.00 WITA. Men's Mount Lewotobi, according to PVMBG, are also still throwing hot clouds of avalanches and experiencing earthquakes. PVMBG noted that the volcano with the status of Aware status threw hot clouds of avalanches as far as two kilometers to the north and experienced 111 low-frequency earthquakes during the observation period Thursday at 00.00 WITA to 14.30 WITA. In addition, Ahmad said that Lewotobi Male was recorded as having an over-scale harmonic tremor that caused the volcano to shake continuously. "This harmonic over scale quiver was recorded intensively at 11.37 WITA and lasted about an hour," he said. In a press statement on Wednesday (17/1), Head of PVMBG Hendra Gunawan said that the seismic data of Mount Lewotobi Male showed an increase in low-frequency earthquakes, indicating that magma movement to the surface was getting more intensive. This condition is expected to increase the volume of lava in the crater area, so that the sliding distance of the lava flow can also increase. Meanwhile, the emergence of harmonic tremors, according to Hendra, shows that gas formation in the magma conduction is increasing and it is feared that it will increase the explosiveness of the eruption. Mount Lewotobi Male on Thursday at 15.45 WITA erupted again. The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 1,000 meters above the peak or 2,584 meters above sea level. The ash column that came out of the volcano was observed gray to brown with thick intensity, leading north and northeast.

Residents around Mount Lewotobi Men and visitors and tourists are not allowed to carry out any activities in areas within a radius of five kilometers from the eruption center and sectoral areas as far as six kilometers to the north and northeast.