Volcano news: Soputan
Soputan volcano (N-Sulawesi, Indonesia): strong explosive eruption this morning
Tuesday Jan 06, 2015 19:36 PM | BY: T
The eruption of the volcano Soputan observed from the volcano observatory post (images: PVMBG / twitter)
The volcano erupted this morning at 02:45 local time with a strong explosion from the summit lava dome. It sent an 6 km tall ash column to approx. 26,000 ft (8,5 km) altitude.
The eruption followed an increase in seismic activity in December, when so-called "drumbeat" earthquakes appeared - a type of volcanic tremor typically associated with movements of viscous magma at shallow depths,- in this case new lava rising beneath the existing lava dome (in place since 1991). As a consequence, the alert status of the volcano had been raised to the second highest level "Siaga" (3 on a scale of 1-4, alert).
Today's explosion caused parts of the summit dome that occupies the crater, open to the western flank, to collapse and produce a glowing avalanche that traveled approx. 2000 m, remaining within the volcano's caldera. It seems that no pyroclastic flow (which could sweep over the caldera walls and into inhabited areas below) occurred. No damage to people or infrastructure was reported.
Continued glow from the summit dome after the explosion suggests that magma has and continues to arrive now there.
- All news about: Soputan volcano
- Information about: Soputan volcano
Previous news
Thursday, Aug 14, 2014
Alert level was decreased to "Waspada" or 2 out of 4 recently as visual and seismic activity have decreased at the volcano recently. [more]
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Thursday, May 01, 2014
As the 5th volcano in Indonesia currently on orange alert, the alert level of Soputan was raised to "siaga" (or 3 on a scale of 1-4) by VSI this morning. The decision came as a result of a marked increase in seismic activity over the past day. ... [more]
Saturday, Jun 15, 2013
VSI decreased the alert level back to level 2. The volcano is currently quiet and only degassing.
[more]
Monday, Apr 22, 2013
Indonesian volcanologists raised the alert level to 3 out of 4 ("Siaga", alert) on 19 April. The decision was based on an increase in block avalanches and seismicity including numerous volcanic-tectonic VA earthquakes (rock fracturing) and long-period VB events corresponding to internal fluid movements. [more]
Thursday, Dec 06, 2012
Seismicity at Soputan decreased during 1-26 November. The Alert Level was lowered to 2 (on a scale of 1-4) on 27 November. [more]
Background:
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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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution
