Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki Erupts Sunday Morning, Status Raised to Highest Alert Level

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara erupted again on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 09.14 WITA (West Indonesia Time). In the last week, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted 5 times.

Based on eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the ash column height was observed to be approximately 1,200 meters above the peak or 2,784 meters above sea level.

The ash column was observed to be gray with low to moderate intensity towards the northwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 2.9 millimeters and a duration of 292 seconds.

According to the MAGMA Indonesia volcano activity report, the activity level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki is at Level IV (Alert). Seismic observations on December 22, 2024, from 00.00 to 06.00 WITA showed 9 instances of tremor with amplitudes of 2.5-5.9 millimeters and durations of 28-103 seconds.

Furthermore, there was 1 volcanic earthquake with an amplitude of 2.9 millimeters, s-p 2.3 seconds, and a duration of 16 seconds; and 2 distant tectonic earthquakes with amplitudes of 2.9-7.4 millimeters, s-p 15.5-21 seconds, and durations of 54-67 seconds.

PVMBG urges people around Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki and visitors/tourists not to conduct any activities within a 6-kilometer radius of the eruption center of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki and in the southwest-north-northeast sector up to 7 kilometers.

During 2024, MAGMA Indonesia recorded 6,025 volcanic eruptions/eruptions throughout Indonesia. Mount Ibu in North Maluku had the most eruptions (2,490 eruptions), while Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted 981 times.