Anticipating Increased Activities Of Mount Gamalama, BPBD Asks Heads In Ternate To Actively Coordinate

CCTV The Gamalama Volcano Monitoring Post was seen emitting smoke, Friday (19/4/2024). ANTARA/Abdul Fatah (Abdul Fatah)

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Ternate City in North Maluku (Malut) has asked all sub-district and sub-district heads to increase coordination to anticipate the possibility of an increase in Mount Gamalama activities.

"In addition, during the rainy season, people who live in river basins that originate in the Gamalama peak area always increase their awareness of the potential threat of secondary danger in the form of cold lava flows," said Acting Head of BPBD Ternate City, Ferry Hamdany Wolley in Ternate, Friday, April 19, quoted by Antara.

Therefore, his party will continue to monitor the latest developments in Mount Gamalama's activities through trusted channels and not be influenced by misleading information.

According to him, this follows up on the Press Realease regarding the Increase in the Earthquake of Mount Gamalama level II (Alert) on April 17, 2024 No. 14/KM.05/BGL/2024 issued by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and reports on the activities of the Gamalama Volcano for the observation period April 17, 2024 at 00.00-24.00 WIT.

Thus, BPBD asks the people of Ternate City and the people around Mount Gamalama and visitors/tourists not to move within a radius of 1.5 km from the main crater at the top of Mount Gamalama.

Previously, based on data from the Gamalama Volcano Monitoring Post, cloudy weather was observed, the wind was blowing weakly to moderate to the north and northwest. The air temperature is 24-31 SC and humidity is 76-83 Yo. The mountain is clear, 0-I fog to 0-11 fog. The crater smoke was observed to be white with moderate to thick intensity and 20-100 m high above the crater peak.

In addition, 117 times the gust earthquake with a duration of 6.94 - 17.2 seconds, 1 time Low Frequency with a duration of 142.58 seconds, 25 times the Deep Volcanic Earthquake with a duration of 10.6 - 15.99 seconds, 1 time the Local Tectonic Earthquake with a duration of 38.06 seconds, 19 times the Remote Tectonic Earthquake with a duration of 42.26 127.82 seconds.

Therefore, based on the results of observations, analysis of visual and instrumental data, carried out by the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, there was a significant increase in gust and inner volcanic seismic activity and the possibility of a phreatic eruption. The level of activity of Mount Gamalama is currently still at level II alert.

Meanwhile, the North Maluku Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) issued an appeal not to move around the slopes of the Gamalama volcano based on early warning information as a result of monitoring the activities of the Gamalama volcano in Ternate City.

The head of the North Maluku BPBD, Febhi Alting, when contacted previously, said that currently, the Gamalama volcano is observed to be white crater smoke with a thin, medium to high intensity of about 20 300 meters from the summit. The weather is sunny to rain, the wind is weak to strong to the north, northeastern.east, South, and southwest. The air temperature is about 24-31 degrees Celsius and humidity is 6-9180 based on a report by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on April 17, 2024.