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Latest news:

Thursday, May 24, 2012
Darwin VAAC reported that during 18 and 20-21 May ash plumes from Batu Tara rose to altitudes of 2.4-3 km (8,000-10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 27-55 k... [more]
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Darwin VAAC reported that during 2-4 May ash plumes from Batu Tara rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 37 km NW. [more]

Batu Tara volcano

stratovolcano 748 m / 2,454 ft
Sunda Islands, Indonesia, -7.79°S / 123.58°E
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Batu Tara webcams / live data
last update: 24 May 2012 (occasional ash eruptions reaching 2-3 km altitude)
Typical eruption style: Explosive
Batu Tara volcano eruptions: 2007-2011 (Oct), 2006, 1852
Batu Tara is a small island volcano 50 km north of Lembata Island in the Flores Sea. It is frequently active, producing ash eruptions rising to hundreds or few kilometers elevation.

Background:

Batu Tara island is the top of a larger stratovolcano, its base reaching 3000 meters below sea level. It has a large central summit crater of 900 x 700 meters diameter open to the east.
The scar on its eastern side is a flank collapse feature similar to the Sciara del Fuoco of Italy's Stromboli volcano. Vegetation covers the flanks of Batu Tara to within 50 m of the 748-m-high summit.

Batu Tara lies on young and thin oceanic crust north of the main volcanic Sunda-Banda Arc at the boundary of the collision of the north moving Australian with the Sunda tectonic plate. Geochemically, it is noted its potassic leucite-bearing basanitic and tephritic rocks.

Eruptions from Batu Tara
Until 2006, the only confirmed historical eruption from Batu Tara were during 1847-52, which produced explosions with volcanic bombs and a lava flow.
On July 1st, 2006, Batu Tara was observed erupting again. An ash plume rose to 5000 ft (ca 2 km). Since then, it has been erupting frequently. Most eruptions were strombolian or vulcanian type, with explosions producing ash plumes of 1-2 km, similar to Anak Krakatau's activity.
In March 2007, a phase of stronger eruptions promted the evacuation of 15000 people from Lembata Island nearby.