Mount Karangetang Emits Glowing Lava, Settlements Remain Safe

Glowing lava flows from Mount Karangetang in the Sitaro Islands Regency did not reach residential areas, according to Sandy Gumolili, Junior Earth Investigator at the Volcano Monitoring and Landslide Disaster Mitigation Centre for Sulawesi and Maluku. “The nearest settlement is at a distance of three kilometres,” Sandy stated in Manado on Monday. Sandy explained that based on the activity report for Mount Karangetang for the period of 9 August 2026, an effusive eruption was observed at 20:00 WITA, with glowing lava flows from the northern crater. The lava flows headed south for approximately 700 metres, then turned west for approximately 300 to 400 metres, and north for approximately 700 to 1,000 metres. Sandy noted that officers at the Karangetang Volcano Observation Post are continuing to monitor the situation following the effusive eruption that caused the glowing lava flows. In addition to the lava flows, Sandy urged residents to be aware of the potential for pyroclastic flows resulting from the accumulation of volcanic material after the eruption. He called on the public to comply with the danger radius recommended by the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to avoid the hazards of eruption and pyroclastic flows from Mount Karangetang. At the current Level II (Alert) activity status, the public is advised not to enter or conduct activities within a 1.5-kilometre radius of the northern and southern craters, and within a 2.5-kilometre radius in the north-west and south-west sectors of the northern crater. The public is urged to remain calm, follow the recommendations issued by the Geological Agency through the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, and not be provoked by false or irresponsible news regarding Mount Karangetang’s activity. During the observation period, five avalanche earthquakes, 59 emission earthquakes, 10 non-harmonic tremors, nine harmonic tremor earthquakes, one hybrid/multi-phase earthquake, and 10 distant tectonic earthquakes were recorded.