January 19, 2026 | 07:19 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Geological Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) raised the alert status of Mount Ile Lewotolok from Level II to Level III (Alert Status) on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. WITA (Central Indonesian Time). The volcano, located in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has seen increased eruptive activity since early January 2026.
The Geological Agency recorded an eruption of the 1,455-meter-high mountain on January 4, 2026, with an ash column reaching 300 meters above the summit. "The number of eruptions is increasing sharply day by day," said the Head of the Geological Agency, Lana Saria, in a statement on Sunday.
According to Lana, on January 13, 2026, 341 earthquake eruptions were recorded, resulting in lava flows erupting from the crater. Between January 1 and 15, 2026, Mount Ile Lewotolok experienced 2,713 eruption earthquakes, 4,391 eruption earthquakes, five avalanches, 834 non-harmonic tremor earthquakes, seven hybrid earthquakes, 13 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 25 deep volcanic earthquakes, eight local tectonic earthquakes, and eight distant tectonic earthquakes.
"From January 16 to 18, 2026, as of 6:00 a.m. WITA (Central Indonesian Time), 831 eruption earthquakes, 925 eruption earthquakes, and one deep volcanic earthquake were recorded," she said.
Based on visual observations, Lana said, white and gray crater smoke was emitted with thin to moderate intensity, with a plume height ranging from 20 to 299 meters from the summit of Mount Ile Lewotolok. Meanwhile, the height of the eruption ash column ranged from 200 to 500 meters from the summit.
"The ejection of eruptive material reached a distance of approximately 300 meters from the eruption center, exiting the crater to the southeast. The eruption was accompanied by a weak to moderate rumbling sound. Avalanches occurred, but their distance and direction were not visually observed. Lava flowed from the western sector to a distance of approximately 100 meters from the crater rim," he said.
Lana urged residents around Mount Ile Lewotolok and visitors to refrain from entering or conducting activities within a 3-kilometer radius of the center of volcanic activity. The public should also be aware of the potential threat of lava avalanches and pyroclastic flows in the southern and southeastern sectors, the western sector, and the northeastern sector of Mount Ile Lewotolok.
Read: Eruptions at Mount Ile Lewotolok Increase, But Seismic Energy Drops: PVMBG
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