Mount Ili Lewotolok Erupts Again This Afternoon, Ash Column Reaches 500 Meters Above the Peak

Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara erupted again on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 1:09 PM WITA. This is the second eruption in the past week.

According to eruption information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) via the MAGMA Indonesia application, the ash column height was observed to reach 500 meters above the peak (1,923 meters above sea level).

The ash column was observed to be gray with moderate to thick intensity towards the northeast. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 32 millimeters and a duration of 115 seconds.

According to the MAGMA Indonesia volcano activity report, the activity level of Mount Ili Lewotolok is at Level II (Alert). Observations of seismic activity on February 1, 2024, from 00.00 to 23.59 WITA showed 75 eruption quakes with amplitudes of 28-37.6 millimeters and durations of 39-128 seconds.

Furthermore, there were 141 puffing quakes with amplitudes of 2.3-25.7 millimeters and durations of 25-112 seconds, and 2 harmonic tremors with amplitudes of 4-9.3 millimeters and durations of 201-239 seconds.

The PVMBG advises the public around Mount Ili Lewotolok, as well as visitors/climbers/tourists, not to enter or carry out activities within a 2-kilometer radius of the center of Mount Ili Lewotolok's activity. The residents of Lamawolo, Lamatokan, and Jontona villages are urged to remain vigilant against the potential dangers of lava collapses/landslides and pyroclastic flows from the eastern part of the peak/crater of Mount Ili Lewotolok.

During 2024, MAGMA Indonesia has recorded 138 volcanic eruptions/eruptions throughout Indonesia. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara has experienced the most eruptions (50 times), while Mount Ili Lewotolok has erupted 7 times.