Mount Ibu Eruption: East Asia’s Volcanic Activity Intensifies
Ternate, Indonesia — A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report Sunday as efforts were underway to evacuate thousands of villagers living near the rumbling mountain.
Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, sent a column of smoke up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky during an eruption on Wednesday. Indonesian officials raised its alert status to the highest level, calling for the evacuation of 3,000 people residing in six nearby villages.
Since January 1, Indonesia’s Geological Agency has recorded 1,079 eruptions by the volcano, with ash columns reaching between 0.3 and 4 kilometers above its peak. The latest significant eruption occurred Sunday at 1:15 a.m. local time, spewing a towering cloud of ash 1.5 kilometers into the air.
“The ash was grey, with moderate to thick intensity, drifting southwest. A loud rumbling sound was heard all the way to Mount Ibu Observation Post,” the agency stated in a release. They noted that the volcano erupted 17 times on Sunday alone.
Despite the evacuation decision, local authorities managed to evacuate only 517 residents as of Sunday, while continuing to encourage those who remained to seek refuge in safe shelters. Many villagers have resisted evacuation, citing familiarity with the situation and their ongoing harvest season.
“There might be economic considerations, as many residents are in the middle of harvesting crops. However, we will continue to educate the community and encourage them to evacuate,” said Adietya Yuni Nurtono, Ternate district military commander in charge of a safe shelter.
Mount Ibu, recognized as one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos, has displayed a significant increase in activity since last June. Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists are advised to avoid a five- to six-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano’s peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.
As of 2022, around 700,000 people lived on Halmahera island, according to official data. Indonesia, a vast archipelago in East Asia, frequently experiences seismic and volcanic activity due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted more than a dozen times in one week, resulting in the tragic loss of nine lives during its initial explosion. Additionally, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted multiple times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.
