Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Mount Ile Lewotolok Erupt Almost Simultaneously
Two volcanoes in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores Regency and Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata Regency, erupted almost simultaneously on Monday (22/6).
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted first at 10:06 WITA, with an ash column reaching 300 metres above the peak, followed by Mount Ile Lewotolok at 10:53 WITA. The observed ash column height reached 800 metres above the mountain peak, or 2,223 metres above sea level.
“There was one eruption earthquake with an amplitude of 5.9 mm and a duration of 111 seconds,” said Fransiskus Xaverius Masan, an officer at the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Observation Post, quoted from the observation report on Monday (22/6).
In addition to the eruption earthquake, two blast earthquakes were recorded with amplitudes of 2.9 to 3.7 mm and durations of 32–36 seconds. Officers also recorded four non-harmonic tremors with amplitudes of 2.9–7.4 mm and durations of 64–178 seconds.
Other activity included one low-frequency earthquake with an amplitude of 14.8 mm and a duration of 26 seconds, as well as two distant tectonic earthquakes with amplitudes of 4.4–8.5 mm and durations of 43–78 seconds.
In response to the volcanic activity, the public has been reminded not to conduct activities in the danger zone. For Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, residents and tourists are asked not to carry out any activities within a 5-kilometre radius of the eruption centre.
“The community around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and visitors/tourists must not conduct any activities within a 5-kilometre radius of the eruption centre of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki,” Fransiskus stressed.
Furthermore, residents living along rivers originating at the peak of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki are urged to be vigilant for potential rain-triggered lahars during periods of high-intensity rainfall.
Meanwhile, according to a report from the Mount Ile Lewotolok Observation Post, the ash column was grey, thick, and moving westward. The eruption was also accompanied by loud rumbling sounds heard as far as residential areas around the mountain.
Volcanic activity at Mount Ile Lewotolok was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 40 millimetres and a duration of approximately one minute and 30 seconds. The mountain’s status remains at Level II, or Alert.
Communities around both volcanoes have also been advised to wear masks or nose and mouth coverings to reduce the health impact of volcanic ash on the respiratory system.