Mount Ili Lewotolok Vomits Lava For 2 Kilometers

Illustration: Volcanic ash bursts out of the crater of Mount Ili Lewotolok on Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Tuesday (27/2/2024). (ANTARA/HO-PVMBG)

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reported that lava flows out of the crater of Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are increasingly widespread, touching a distance of 2 kilometers in line with the increase in activity in the active volcano.

"On February 26, 2024, the lava flow to the southeast has reached a distance of about 2 kilometers from the crater's lip," said PVMBG Head Hendra Gunawan as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 27.

Based on observations made by PVMBG, new lava flows emerged to the south and southeast as far as approximately 400 meters from the crater's edge on February 15, 2024.

A week later, on February 23, 2024, the new lava flow had reached a distance of 1 kilometer to the southeast and 600 meters to the south.

Hendra said that currently, explosive eruptions are still ongoing and show an increase. The dominant incandescent lava ejection range is still around the crater area and can reach a distance of about 500 meters out of the crater.

"The potential threat of danger from incandescent lava or material must be watched out for, which is still expected to be within a 2 kilometer radius of the activity center of Mount Ili Lewotolok," said Hendra.

On 16-26 February 2024, PVMBG recorded 98 eruption earthquakes, 30 avalanches, 3,615 gusts, 98 non-harmonic tremors, 54 hybrid earthquakes, 4 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 5 deep volcanic earthquakes, 1 tremor earthquake decreased, 4 local tectonic earthquakes, and 3 distant tectonic earthquakes.

PVMBG has raised the activity status of Mount Ili Lewotolok from level II or alert to level III or standby on February 27, 2024, at 10.00 WITA.