23-6-2023 (JAKARTA) The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has reported a volcanic eruption that has emitted ash up to a height of 1,000 meters from the crater of Mount Ibu on Halmahera Island, North Maluku.
Ahmad Basuki, an observer at the Mount Ibu Observation Post, stated that the eruption occurred at 13:37 local time.
“The observed ash column appeared white with thick intensity leaning towards the northeast direction,” he said in a press release received in Jakarta on Friday. Ahmad explained that the eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 23 millimeters and a duration of approximately 39 seconds.
The eruption poses no immediate threat to residential areas located 6-7 kilometers away from the crater.
PVMBG has stated that Mount Ibu is currently at Alert Level II, or “caution,” which has been in effect since December 10, 2013.
PVMBG recommends that residents avoid activities within a radius of two kilometers from the volcano’s crater and extend the sectoral exclusion zone to a distance of 3.5 kilometers towards the northern opening of the active crater.
In the event of ashfall, individuals engaging in outdoor activities are advised to use nose and mouth protection (masks) as well as eye protection (goggles). Mount Ibu is a stratovolcano located in the northwest part of Halmahera Island, North Maluku.
The summit of the volcano consists of a volcanic crater with a width of one kilometer and a depth of 400 meters, while the outer part has a width of 1.2 kilometers.
