Mount Ibu () is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

at the north-west coast of

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 ...

island,

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, ...

. The summit is truncated and contains nested

crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...

s. The inner crater is wide and deep, while the outer is wide. A large

parasitic cone A parasitic cone (also adventive cone, satellite cone, satellitic cone or lateral cone) is the cone-shaped accumulation of volcanic material not part of the central vent of a volcano. It forms from eruptions from fractures on the flank of the ...

is at the north-east of the summit and a smaller one at the south-west. The latter feeds a

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

down the west flank. A group of

maar A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow ...

s are on the western and northern side of the volcano. Mount Ibu sits within the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

's "

Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes. It is about long and up to about wide, and surrounds most of the Pa ...

" that has 127 active volcanoes.

Latest activity

In August 2009, the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia raised the eruption alert level for Ibu to Orange/III. In 2023, a total of 21,100 eruptions were recorded from the volcano, making it the second most active volcano in Indonesia. On 16 May 2024, the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia raised its highest alert level (Red/IV) for Mount Ibu following another series of eruptions. As a result, seven villages were evacuated. On 1 June 2024, Mount Ibu erupted at 11:03 WIT (02:03 GMT) for 265 seconds, producing a five kilometer (3 mile) high ash plume that dispersed towards the southwest and deposited ash on the village of Gam Ici, where many evacuees displaced by previous eruptions had been relocated. The Volcanological Survey of Indonesia warned of a potential for

flash flooding A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash flo ...

and

lahar A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley. Lahars are o ...

flow in the region, and recommended that people move at least seven kilometers (~4.35 miles) away from the crater. On 6 June 2024, Mount Ibu erupted three more times, producing ash clouds as tall as 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). On 11 January 2025, Mount Ibu erupted again, spewing hot lava and a towering column of smoke and ash reaching up to four kilometres. From 1 January to 19 January 2025, the volcano erupted 1,079 times, forcing authorities to raise its highest alert level again.

References

External links

YouTube video of eruption
uploaded Jan 6, 2016 Stratovolcanoes of Indonesia Active volcanoes of Indonesia Mountains of Indonesia Volcanoes of Halmahera Maars of Indonesia Volcanic crater lakes Holocene stratovolcanoes {{NMaluku-geo-stub

Latest activity

See also

References

External links