Soputan Volcano

Updated: Jun 19, 2025 07:48 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

North Sulawesi, Indonesia, 1.11°N / 124.73°E

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Summit height: 1784 m (5,853 ft)

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 23 Mar 2022 (occasional minor ash emissions)

The small Soputan stratovolcano on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera on the northern arm of Sulawesi Island is one of Sulawesi's most active volcanoes. The youthful, largely unvegetated volcano rises to 1784 m and is located SW of Sempu volcano. It was constructed at the southern end of a SSW-NNE trending line of vents. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE-flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924.

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Typical eruption style: Explosive, construction of lava domes, pyroclastic flows, strombolian activity.
Soputan volcano eruptions: 1785, 1819, 1833(?), 1845, 1890, 1901, 1906, 1907, 1908-09, 1910, 1911-12, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1923-24, 1947, 1953, 1966-67, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1991-96, 2000-03, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location

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Soputan Volcano Photos

Full moon above Soputan volcano (Photo: Thomas Spinner)

Soputan volcano (Photo: Thomas Spinner)

Gunung Soputan From Campsite, North Sulawesi, Indonesia (Photo: Jay Ramji)

Summit cone of Soputan volcano (Photo: Jay Ramji)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Soputan volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Soputan has had at least 41 confirmed eruptions, all documented by historical records or observations.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Soputan volcano since around 1900. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Soputan can be found on the news page of Soputan volcano.

Date	Note	VEI
2020 Mar 23 - Apr 2	Historical obs./docs.	2
2018 Oct 2 - Dec 16	Historical obs./docs.	3
2016 Jan 2 - Feb 7	Puncak Crater Historical obs./docs.	3
2015 Jan 6 - Mar 9	Summit crater and WSW flank Historical obs./docs.	3
2012 Aug 26 - Sep 19	Summit crater Historical obs./docs.	3
2011 Jul 3 - Aug 15	Summit crater and flank Historical obs./docs.	3
2008 Jun 6 - Nov 2 ?	Historical obs./docs.	3?
2007 Jun 16 ±15 d. - Nov 9 ?	Historical obs./docs.	3
2006 Dec 14 - Dec 26 ?	Historical obs./docs.	1
2005 Dec 26 - 2006 Jan 24 ?	Historical obs./docs.	1
2005 Apr 19 - Jul 18 ?	Historical obs./docs.	2
2004 Oct 18 - Dec 27 ?	Historical obs./docs.	3?
2000 May 13 - 2003 Sep 4 ?	Historical obs./docs.	2
1991 May 22 - 1996 Sep 29 or later	Historical obs./docs.	2
1989 Apr 22 - Apr 23	Historical obs./docs.	2
1985 May 19 - May 20	Historical obs./docs.	2
1984 May 24 - Aug 31	Historical obs./docs.	3
1982 Aug 26 - Nov 10	Historical obs./docs.	3
1973 Jan 6 - May 27	Historical obs./docs.	2
1971 May 19	Historical obs./docs.	1
1970 Feb 16 ±15 d. - May 26 ±5 d.	Historical obs./docs.	2
1968 Jul 16 ±15 d. - Aug 16 ±15 d.	Historical obs./docs.	1
1966 May 21 - 1967 Nov 16 ±15 d.	Kawah Soputan Historical obs./docs.	3
1953 Nov 16 ±15 d.	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1947 Aug 22 - Aug 27	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1923 Nov 27 - 1924 Jan 18	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1917 Nov	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1915 Apr - Jun	NE flank (Aeseput Weru) Historical obs./docs.	2
1913 Apr - Jul	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1911 Nov - 1912 Apr	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1910 Nov 15 ±45 d.	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1908 Jun - 1909 Jun	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1907 Jun 5 - Jun 25 ?	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1906 Jun 17 - Sep	NE flank (Aeseput) Historical obs./docs.	2
1901 Feb 4	Historical obs./docs.	2

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Soputan Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Soputan volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Soputan occurred in 2020.

+How often does Soputan volcano erupt?

Since 1450 AD, Soputan volcano has had at least 41 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 14 years.
Many eruptions of Soputan have lasted more than one year. In total, the volcano has been in eruption during 52 out of 575 years until now. In other words, Soputan has been active at least one in 11.1 years on average. Note that this value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruptions from Soputan is likely incomplete, especially further back in time.

+How active is Soputan volcano at present?

Soputan volcano is very active: Since 1900, it has had 46 eruptions, and been active during 46 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Soputan has been in eruption one in 2.7 years on average. The last eruption was in 2020 and ended 5 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Soputan volcano?

The largest eruption of Soputan volcano in historic times occurred in 2018. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

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Soputan Volcano Tours

Sulawesi/Halmahera (Indonesia)

Volcanoes and Spices

17-day volcano trekking tour to the Molucca Sea: N-Sulawesi, Karangetang and Halmahera

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17 days / 16 nights - Moderate
Price 3570 €

1-17 Aug 2025

8-24 Sep 2025

6-22 Oct 2025

Soputan Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).