Geological Agency: Volcanic Activity Of Mount Awu In Sangihe Increases

Mount Awu in Sangihe Islands Regency. BETWEEN/HO-PVMBG)

MANADO - The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said that the volcanic activity of Mount Awu in Sangihe Islands Regency, North Sulawesi, has increased.

"There has been an increase in seismicity which is thought to be due to magma's movement towards shallower depths," said Head of the Geological Agency Muhammad Wafid in a report on the activity of Mount Awu as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 3.

He said the latest developments in the activity of Mount Awu until April 1, 2024, based on visual observations, showed that the activity on the surface was still in the form of gas gusts, there was no rock or ash material that was carried to the surface.

In the period March 2024, white main crater smoke was observed with a thin intensity of about 5 - 100 meters from the summit through CCTV observations posted in the peak area.

This was marked by a series of deep volcanic earthquakes (VA) and shallow volcanic earthquakes (VB), namely on March 22, 2024 at 17.00 WITA (3 VA, 12 VB) and at 19.15 WITA (7 VB).

The Vulcanic Earthquake was recorded again on April 1, 2024 at 17.50 WITA (1 VA, 7 VB) and at 20.45 WITA (2 VA, 7 VB).

Earthquake energy is experiencing a detectable increase in the 'Realtime Seismic Amplitude Measurement' (RSAM) graph which is increasing.

In March 2024, a five-time non-harmonic tremor earthquake (low-frequency trend with a dominant frequency of around 1.5 Hz) with an earthquake of 40 - 95 seconds showing an increase in surface earthquakes.

The Awu Volcano has an eruption interval ranging from 1 to 101 years.

The last eruption occurred in June 2004 in the form of a magmatic eruption resulting in an eruption column as high as 3,000 meters above the peak.

Meanwhile, the activity level of Mount Awu is level II (alert) since August 25, 2022.