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Report on Karangetang (Indonesia) — May 1999


Karangetang

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 24, no. 5 (May 1999)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.

Karangetang (Indonesia) During March-May, weak ash emissions and rare incandescence

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1999. Report on Karangetang (Indonesia) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 24:5. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199905-267020



Karangetang

Indonesia

2.781°N, 125.407°E; summit elev. 1797 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Between 9 March and 24 May, a "thick white ash plume" was emitted from the main crater and rose to 300-500 m, while a "thin white ash plume" rose to ~150 m from Crater II. Occasionally incandescence was seen in the column rising from the main crater to heights of 25 m. Some A-type earthquakes occurred throughout the reporting period, but seismicity was dominated by tectonic events that frequently exceeded 200/week.

Karangetang (Api Siau) lies at the northern end of the island of Siau, N of Sulawesi, and contains five summit craters strung along a N-S line. One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, Karangetang has had more than 40 recorded eruptions since 1675. Twentieth century eruptions have included frequent explosions, sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows and lahars.

Geological Summary. Karangetang (Api Siau) volcano lies at the northern end of the island of Siau, about 125 km NNE of the NE-most point of Sulawesi. The stratovolcano contains five summit craters along a N-S line. It is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, with more than 40 eruptions recorded since 1675 and many additional small eruptions that were not documented (Neumann van Padang, 1951). Twentieth-century eruptions have included frequent explosive activity sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows and lahars. Lava dome growth has occurred in the summit craters; collapse of lava flow fronts have produced pyroclastic flows.

Information Contacts: Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (VSI), Jalan Diponegoro No. 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/).