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Report on Kie Besi (Indonesia) — 15 July-21 July 2009


Kie Besi

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2009
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2009. Report on Kie Besi (Indonesia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 July-21 July 2009. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (15 July-21 July 2009)

Kie Besi

Indonesia

0.32°N, 127.4°E; summit elev. 1357 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


CVGHM reported that on 16 July the Alert Level for Makian was lowered from 2 to 1 (on a scale of 1-4) because no visual changes or increased seismicity were noted. Residents and tourists were not permitted to climb Makian.

Geological Summary. Kie Besi volcano, forming the 10-km-wide Makian island off the west coast of Halmahera, has been the source of infrequent, but strong eruptions that have devastated villages on the island. The large 1.5-km-wide summit crater, containing a small lake on the NE side, gives the peak a flat-topped profile. Two prominent valleys extend to the coast from the summit crater on the north and east sides. Four cones are found on the western flanks. Eruption have been recorded since about 1550; major eruptions in 1646, 1760-61, 1861-62, 1890, and 1988 caused extensive damage and many fatalities.

Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)