GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Indonesia's Mount Soputan Volcano Erupts - Spew Column Of Hot Ash Up To 2.5km High! [VIDEO]

Mount Soputan has erupted 39 times in the last 600 years

February 8, 2016 - INDONESIA - Mount Soputan volcano in North Sulawesi province of Indonesia erupted several times on Sunday, spewing a column of hot ash by up to 2.5 km high, official of disaster management agency said.

Mount Soputan, located some 60 km from Manado, capital of the province, has high potential for further big eruption which is indicated by persistent tremors with amplitude of 41 mm, Spokesman of National Disaster Management Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho disclosed.

Several subdistricts in Minahasa Tenggara district were hit by rains of ash and volcanic materials that the local disaster agency distributes masks to protect local residents from the impact, he told Xinhua via phone.

The authorities have banned villagers or visitors from entering the area of 4 km from the crater, but at the southwest of the crater the evacuation zone is at 6. 5 km, Mr. Sutopo said.

The 1,874- meter high Mount Soputan is one of Indonesia's active volcanoes whose number is about 129, according to the National Volcanology Agency.


WATCH: Soputan volcano erupts.

- Xinhua.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Strong Eruption At Soputan Volcano In Indonesia - Ash Plumes Over 4km High! [VIDEOS]

Lava fountaining at Soputan volcano on January 5, 2016. © Sindonews

January 11, 2016 - INDONESIA - A powerful explosive eruption occurred at the volcano during 4-6 January.

It began with a series of at least 4 powerful explosions between 20:50 on 4 Jan and up to the next morning, producing tall ash plumes that rose 4-6 km above the volcano and drifted north.

At least some of the explosions also triggered pyroclastic flows reaching the southern base of the summit cone.

Moderately strong ash fall of 1-2 cm occurred in villages about 10 km to the NE of the volcano.


WATCH: Soputan volcano erupts.

Apart from significant damage to farmland because of the ash cover, no injuries or damage to infrastructure were reported.

The airport of Manado had to be closed for 2 days.

In the course of the second day (5 Jan), the activity at the volcano changed to violent lava fountaining from a fissure vent at the summit of the cone, producing lava flows that descended the cone.

Activity ceased after around 6 January. - Volcano Discovery.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Indonesia's Mount Soputan Volcano Status Raised to Standby - Increasing Levels of Volcanic Activity!

The Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has raised the alert status of Mt. Soputan in Minahasa and Southeast Minahasa regencies in North Sulawesi to level 3 -- meaning "standby" -- from the previous level 2 (alert), following increasing levels of volcanic activity.

"Based on our observations, as of 3 p.m. on Monday, Mt. Soputan's alert status was raised to level 3," center head Surono said on Monday evening.  According to Surono, increasing activity had been detected since May 25, when the volcano spew out white smoke to heights of between 50 meters and 75 meters above the mountain's peak.  The center has recorded dozens of different types of activity since then.

The center's highest alert status for volcanoes is level 4 (on guard).  Surono has called on local residents to stay beyond a radius of six kilometers from the volcano's summit.  The center has also warned residents of the threat of a cold lava flood, urging people living near Ranowangko, Pentu, Lawian and Popang rivers to remain alert and aware.  The volcano's last eruption occurred on July 3, 2011. It erupted 10 hours after its status was raised to alert, forcing local officials to close Sam Ratulangi Airport for a day. - Asia One News.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Mt. Soputan Erupts Violently in Indonesia!

Officials have established an 8-kilometer exclusion zone around Mount Soputan in South Minahasa, North Sulawesi, after the volcano erupted Sunday morning.

A volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has erupted, spewing ash and smoke 6 kilometers into the air. Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi province erupted about 6am on Sunday (8am AEST) but people living in the sparsely populated area have not been evacuated, Iing Kusnadi, a scientist at the volcano’s monitoring post said. “The volcano erupted this morning. Besides spewing ash and dust particles, it also spewed hot gas but that’s limited to around its crater,” he said. “The recommended evacuation zone is set at a six-kilometer radius around the volcano but there’s only forest in that range.

At the moment, it is still a safe distance from people but we’ll continue to monitor the activity,” he added. The nearest village is 8km away on the western side of the volcano, which towers 1783 meters over North Sulawesi province. Soputan, one of Sulawesi’s most active volcanoes, last erupted in 2008 with no fatalities recorded. State volcanologist Surono, who uses only one name, says no one was injured when Mount Soputan, located on Sulawesi island, exploded early Sunday. – MB.