Volcanic activity at Mount Ibu in North Maluku has increased again after an eruption was recorded on Monday (13/7/2026) at 20:37 WIT. Based on data from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), the eruption spewed an ash column 500 meters above the peak, or approximately 1,825 meters above sea level.
A report from the MAGMA Indonesia application noted that the observed ash column was thick and greyish in color, leaning toward the north. The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a duration of 38 seconds and a maximum amplitude of 28 millimeters.
As of now, Mount Ibu remains at Level II (Alert status). Throughout Monday, seismic monitoring instruments recorded fairly intense activity, including 83 eruption earthquakes, 13 harmonic tremors, and 82 low-frequency earthquakes. These records indicate a high intensity of volcanic activity over the past week, during which six eruptions have been recorded.
In response to these conditions, the PVMBG issued a strict warning to local residents and tourists not to approach or engage in any activities within a 2-kilometer radius of the crater. Specifically for the sectoral area on the north side of the active crater, the exclusion zone has been extended to 3.5 kilometers.
According to MAGMA Indonesia data, Mount Ibu is recorded as one of the most active volcanoes in the country throughout 2026. As of mid-July, a total of 1,044 eruptions have been recorded at the volcano, making it the volcano with the second-highest eruption frequency in Indonesia after Mount Semeru in East Java.
