Warning! Mount Ibu Erupts Again This Afternoon (Thursday, January 29, 2026)

Mount Ibu in North Maluku erupted again on Thursday (29/1/2026) at 15:24 WIT. In the last week, Mount Ibu has erupted 28 times.

Based on eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the height of the observed ash column reached 700 meters above the peak (2,025 meters above sea level).

The ash column was observed to be white to grey with moderate to thick intensity towards the northeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 28 millimeters and a duration of 38 seconds.

(Read: Forest and Land Fire Hotspots in South Sumatra Increased in Mid-October 2023)

According to MAGMA Indonesia's volcano activity report, Mount Ibu's activity level is at Level II (Alert). Seismicity observations on January 29, 2026, from 00:00-23:59 WIT showed 98 eruption earthquakes with amplitudes of 14-28 millimeters and durations of 33-65 seconds.

In addition, there were 2 exhalation earthquakes with amplitudes of 2-10 millimeters and durations of 37-44 seconds, and 15 harmonic earthquakes with amplitudes of 2-20 millimeters and durations of 44-203 seconds.

PVMBG urges the public around Mount Ibu and visitors/tourists not to engage in activities within a radius of 2.0 kilometers and a sectoral expansion of 3.5 kilometers towards the crater opening in the northern part of Mount Ibu's active crater.

Throughout 2026, MAGMA Indonesia has recorded 387 volcano eruptions across Indonesia. Mount Semeru in East Java erupted the most (200 times), while Mount Ibu erupted 157 times.

(Read: West Kalimantan Produced the Most CO2 Emissions from Forest and Land Fires Until July 2023)