Columns of dense gray ash that reached three miles into the sky erupted from Mount Ibu. Indonesia when the volcano erupted early Tuesday morning.
The eruption of the volcano on the island of East Halmahera started at 5:36 am. about two minutes, said PVMB agency official Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari. All activities within a seven kilometer (4.4 mi) radius of the crater were banned.
“The volcano is active because there is strong magma movement,” Heruningtyas said, adding that the alert status is the highest it has been since May 16.
According to the video images provided by PVMB, gray ash clouds rose to the sky from the crater. While Tuesday’s incident did not prompt new evacuations, it was the latest in a series of explosions that have forced authorities to evacuate seven nearby villages since May, BNPB said.
Indonesia lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet.
It should be recalled that last month, as a result of the eruption of the Ruang volcano in the north of Sulawesi, more than 12 thousand people were forced to leave their homes and red-hot lava erupted.