Mount Lewotobi Returns to Alert Status, Erupting and Spewing Ash 9 Kilometers High

October 15, 2025 | 07:43 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), also known as the Geological Agency, has raised the alert status of Mount Lewotobi, situated in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), from Level III (Alert) to Level IV (Warning). The decision was made due to the increased volcanic earthquakes.

According to the head of the Geological Agency, Muhammad Wafid, "Based on visual and instrumental analysis, there has been a very significant increase in Mount Lewotobi's activity. Therefore, its activity level has been raised from Level III (Alert) to Level IV (Warning) on October 14, 2025, at 21:30 WITA (Central Indonesian Time)," he said in his statement on Tuesday night, October 14, 2025.

Wafid stated that the surge in volcanic earthquakes indicated an increase in magma supply inside the conduit from beneath the surface towards the upper part of the crater. "This magma supply is rapidly moving towards the surface, potentially leading to an explosive eruption," he said.

He added that the local tectonic earthquakes occurring a day earlier on Monday, October 13, 2025, indicated compatibility with the movement of magma approaching the crater's surface.

Over the past two days, the 1,584-meter-high volcano above sea level has been clearly visible, occasionally obscured by thick fog. Eruptions and rockfalls have been recorded by seismographs, but high eruption and volcanic ash colors have not been observed with the naked eye. "The main crater smoke is white in color, ranging from thin to thick, with a height of 50-500 meters from the peak," he said.

Seismic activity over the past two days has seen four rockfall earthquakes, one eruption earthquake, nine emission earthquakes, one harmonic earthquake, 23 non-harmonic tremor earthquakes, one tornillo earthquake, 22 deep volcanic earthquakes, two local tectonic earthquakes, 11 distant tectonic earthquakes, and one flood vibration.

"The seismic activity is still dominated by shallow-depth earthquakes, as evidenced by the increase in emission earthquakes and the stable number of non-harmonic tremor earthquakes," he said.

Wafid mentioned that tiltmeter readings showed a decreasing pattern with the vector direction indicating deflation. Meanwhile, results from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) indicate an upward trend over the past five days. "The combination of all these parameters indicates that magma supply activity towards the surface is still ongoing," he said.

Lewotobi Erupts Again

The Mount Lewotobi observation team reported an eruption of Mount Lewotobi at 23:37 WITA, two hours after the volcano's status was raised to Warning. The eruption spewed volcanic ash to a height of 9,000 meters above the crater's peak.

"The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 47.3 mm and lasted approximately 4 minutes and 5 seconds. The eruption was accompanied by loud explosions heard at the Mount Lewotobi observation post," said one of the observation team members, Emanuel Rofinus Bere, shortly after the incident.

He urged the local community to remain calm and follow the government's instructions, and not to believe unclear sources of information regarding Mount Lewotobi's eruption. "People within a 6-kilometer radius in the southwest-northwest-northeast sector and up to 7 kilometers from the eruption center of Mount Lewotobi, should refrain from any activities," he said.

Editor’s Choice: 2 Tornillo Earthquakes Reveal Latest Conditions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Indonesia Ranks Second Worldwide in Japanese Language Learners

1 jam lalu

Why Indonesia's Temperatures in Urban Regions Are Rising

11 jam lalu

Today's Top 3 News: Eight Athletes to Represent Indonesia at Gymnastics World Championship in Jakarta

12 jam lalu

Indonesia and FAO Boost Youth Agripreneurship Through 'Cool Agripreneur' Training

16 jam lalu

Prabowo Ready to Deploy Indonesian Peacekeepers to Palestine

16 jam lalu

Shin Tae-yong Denies Return to Indonesia After Ulsan HD's Dismissal

17 jam lalu

Eight Athletes to Represent Indonesia at Gymnastics World Championship in Jakarta

21 jam lalu

Indonesian Gov't Still Investigating Radiation Found in Shrimp Exports

21 jam lalu

Why Minister Purbaya Wants Indonesia's High-Speed Train Debt Moved to Danantara

22 jam lalu

Half of the Most Endangered Animals Are in Indonesia, Here's What UGM Researcher Suggests

23 jam lalu