Mount Ibu Erupts Again Tonight (Thursday, December 18, 2025)

Mount Ibu in North Maluku erupted again on Thursday (18/12/2025) at 20:18 WIT. In the last week, Mount Ibu has erupted 19 times.

Based on eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the height of the ash column observed reached 400 meters above the peak or 1,725 meters above sea level.

The ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity towards the northeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 20 millimeters and a duration of 57 seconds.

(Read: Hotspots for Forest Fires in South Sumatra Increased in Mid-October 2023)

According to MAGMA Indonesia's volcanic activity report, Mount Ibu's activity level is at Level II (Alert). Seismic observations on December 18, 2025, from 00:00-23:59 WIT showed 102 eruption earthquakes with amplitudes of 15-28 millimeters and earthquake durations of 33-117 seconds.

Then, 3 exhalation earthquakes with amplitudes of 3-13 millimeters and durations of 37-60 seconds, and 11 harmonic earthquakes with amplitudes of 2-26 millimeters and durations of 48-215 seconds were recorded.

PVMBG urges the public around Mount Ibu and visitors/tourists not to engage in activities within a radius of 2 kilometers and a sectoral expansion of 3.5 kilometers towards the crater opening in the northern part of Mount Ibu's active crater.

Throughout 2025, MAGMA Indonesia has recorded 7,389 volcanic eruptions across Indonesia. Mount Semeru in East Java erupted the most (3,047 times) while Mount Ibu erupted 2,673 times.

(Read: Indication of Forest Fire Area in East Kalimantan until June 2025)