JABAR EKSPRES – The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources recorded as many as 657 earthquakes of Mount Karangetang, in Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi during the week.
“The eruptive activity of Mount Karangetang visually, instrumentally and the potential threat of danger is still high so that the level of activity is still at level III or alert,” said Head of the Geological Agency, Sugeng Mujiyanto in an evaluation of the level of activity of Mount Karangetang for the period May 26 to June 1, 2023 shared by the Head of the Karangetang PGA Post, Yudia P Tatipang in a group conversation, Thursday (6/8).
The Karangetang PGA Post also recorded three puffing earthquakes, three hybrid/multi-phase earthquakes and 14 distant tectonic earthquakes.
Visual observation, the volcanic volcano with an altitude of 1,784 meters above sea level is generally sunny to rainy weather, the volcano is sometimes covered with fog.
On clear days, white crater smoke is observed with a thin to medium intensity, the maximum smoke column height reaches 150 meters above the summit, weak to moderate winds to the north, east, southeast, south, southwest and northwest.
Effusive eruptions in the main crater (south) are still occurring in the form of incandescent lava slides to the southwest and south for about 1,000 – 1,500 meters.
Lava flows towards the southwest into the Kali Batang, Timbelang and West Beha valleys as far as approximately 1,000 – 1,200 meters from the main crater.
The condition of the northern crater was observed at night there was still a silent fire in the lava dome body of the northern crater, and no lava flows were observed during this period.
On February 8, 2023, Mount Karangetang erupted effusively after an increase in volcanic activity, along with that, PVMBG then raised its status to level III alert.
Two months later, on April 26, 2023, PVMBG then lowered its status to alert level II, on May 19, 2023, PVMBG again raised its status to alert level III.
