Strong eruption at Ibu volcano, North Maluku, Indonesia
A strong eruption took place at Ibu volcano, Indonesia at 07:46 UTC on May 16, 2022, ejecting thick gray ash up to 3.8 km (12 240 feet) above sea level. The Aviation Color Code remains at Orange and the Alert Level at 3.
This eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 30 mm and a duration of 154 seconds.
Ibu Volcano Observatory is advising communities living around Mt. Ibu and visitors/tourists not to move within a radius of 2 km (1.2 miles) from the crater.
People who are active outside of their homes during ashfall are advised to use a nose/mouth mask and eye protection.1
A short-lived, high-level eruption took place at the volcano at 09:20 UTC on May 16, 2020, ejecting ash up to 13.7 km (45 000 feet) above sea level.
Geological summary
The truncated summit of Gunung Ibu stratovolcano along the NW coast of Halmahera Island has large nested summit craters. The inner crater, 1 km (0.62 miles) wide and 400 m (1 312 feet) deep, contained several small crater lakes through much of historical time.
The outer crater, 1.2 km (0.74 miles) wide, is breached on the north side, creating a steep-walled valley.
A large parasitic cone is located ENE of the summit. A smaller one to the WSW has fed a lava flow down the W flank. A group of maars is located below the N and W flanks.
Only a few eruptions have been recorded in historical time, the first a small explosive eruption from the summit crater in 1911.
An eruption producing a lava dome that eventually covered much of the floor of the inner summit crater began in December 1998.2
References:
1 Mount Ibu VONA issued at 08:25 UTC on May 16, 2022 – PVMBG
2 Ibu – Geological summary – GVP
Featured image credit: PVMBG
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