Three active volcanoes in Indonesia erupt on Tuesday night

The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) recorded that three active volcanoes in Indonesia—Mount Ibu, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, and Mount Semeru—erupted in succession on Tuesday night.

Based on data published on the Geological Agency’s official website in Jakarta on Tuesday night, Mount Ibu in West Halmahera, North Maluku, was recorded as having experienced three consecutive eruptions within a few hours.

The first eruption of Mount Ibu was recorded at 20:36 WIT with an ash column height reaching 700 metres above the summit, followed by a second eruption at 20:58 WIT reaching 500 metres.

Mount Ibu erupted again at 23:11 WIT, sending volcanic ash 600 metres high, white to grey in colour, drifting towards the northeast and east.

Meanwhile, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, erupted at 21:09 WITA.

The eruption spewed a thick grey ash column 300 metres above the summit towards the west and northwest, with a maximum seismogram amplitude of 11 millimetres and a duration of 109 seconds. Its volcanic activity remains at Level III (Alert).

At around the same time, Mount Semeru in East Java also erupted at 20:33 WIB.

Mount Semeru’s volcanic activity is currently at Level III, or Alert status, with a recommendation that the public not conduct any activities in the southeastern sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 km from the summit or eruption centre.

Beyond that distance, the public is also prohibited from conducting activities within 500 metres of the riverbank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan, as there is potential for exposure to expanding pyroclastic flows and lava flows up to 17 kilometres from the summit.

Furthermore, the public must not conduct activities within a 5 km radius of Mount Semeru’s crater or summit, as it is prone to the danger of incandescent rock projectiles.