Makian (also Machian), known to local people as Mount Kie Besi, is a
volcanic island
Geologically, a volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term high island can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
, one of the
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...
within the province of
North Maluku
North Maluku (; ) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. It shares marit ...
in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. It lies near the southern end of a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast of the province's major island,
Halmahera
Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coa ...
, and lies between the islands of
Moti and
Tidore to the north and
Kayoa and the
Bacan Group to the south. The island, which forms two districts (''Pulau Makian'' and ''Makian Barat'') within
South Halmahera Regency of North Maluku Province, covers an area of 91.04 sq.km, and had a population of 12,394 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 14,000 at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as at mid 2023 was 12,525.
Makian Island District (''Kecamatan Pulau Makian'') occupies the eastern 61% of the island and consists of the 15 villages (''desa'') of Dalam, Dauri, Gitang, Gorup, Gurua, Kyowor, Matentengin, Ploili, Rabutdaiyo, Sangapati, Suma, Waigitang, Wailoa, Walo and Waykion. West Makian District (''Kecamatan Makian Barat'') covers the 7 villages (''desa'') of Bobawae, Malapat, Mateketen, Ombawa, Sebelei, Talapaon and Tegono.
The island is wide, and its high summit consists of a large wide crater, with a small lake on its Northeast side. There are four
parasitic cones on the western slopes of Makian. Makian volcano is also known as Mount Kiebesi (or Kie Besi).
Volcanic history
Makian
volcano
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
has had infrequent, but violent
eruption
A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has ...
s that destroyed villages on the island.
Its first recorded eruption was in the 1550s.
The eruptions of July 19, 1646, September 22, 1760 and December 28, 1861 are rated 4 on the
Volcanic Explosivity Index
The volcanic explosivity index (VEI) is a scale used to measure the size of explosive volcanic eruptions. It was devised by Christopher G. Newhall of the United States Geological Survey and Stephen Self in 1982.
Volume of products, eruption c ...
.
[ Since the first known eruption in the 1550s, it has erupted seven times, four of which caused fatalities.
The 1760 eruption of the volcano killed about three thousand inhabitants. It erupted in 1890, and was then dormant until July 1988, when a series of eruptions forced the temporary evacuation of the island's entire population, then about fifteen thousand people.
]
Languages
There are 2 unrelated languages spoken in this island, Taba and West Makian languages. Taba or East Makian belongs to the Austronesian language family, while West Makian belongs to the West Papuan language family.
See also
* List of volcanoes in Indonesia
The geography of Indonesia is dominated by volcanoes that are formed due to subduction zones between the Eurasian plate and the Australian plate, Indo-Australian plate. Some of the volcanoes are notable for their eruptions, for instance, Krak ...
References
External links
*
Makian As It Appears from the Side of Ngofakiaha
from 1670
{{Maluku-islands
Islands of the Maluku Islands
18th-century volcanic events