A total of four out of eight active volcanoes in North Sulawesi Province are currently set to Alert (Level II) status. The relevant authorities are urging local residents and tourists to remain vigilant and avoid entering the mapped disaster-prone areas.
This information was shared by Sandy Gumolili, a Junior Geological Researcher from the Sulawesi Maluku Volcano Monitoring and Landslide Mitigation Center of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). The four volcanoes in the Level II category include Mount Awu in the Sangihe Islands Regency, Mount Karangetang in the Sitaro Islands Regency, Mount Lokon in Tomohon City, and Mount Soputan in Southeast Minahasa Regency.
Sandy explained that the status of Mount Awu was recently downgraded from Standby (Level III) to Alert (Level II) starting July 8, 2026. Meanwhile, four other volcanoes in the North Sulawesi region—Mount Mahawu, Mount Ruang, Mount Tangkoko, and Mount Ambang—remain in a safe or Normal (Level I) status.
Although activity levels vary, each volcano has its own specific danger zone. Monitoring authorities urge residents to comply with the recommended safe distances. For example, for Mount Karangetang, the public is prohibited from climbing or approaching areas within a 1.5-kilometer radius of the main and northern craters, as well as a sectoral area extending 2.5 kilometers to the south-southwest.
In addition to respecting the safe radius, residents living on the mountain slopes are also asked to anticipate the potential for incandescent lava falls and pyroclastic flows. Accumulated volcanic material from previous activity is considered unstable and prone to collapse at any time, particularly toward the southern, southeastern, western, and southwestern sectors.
