Report on Soputan (Indonesia) — November 1996
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 21, no. 11 (November 1996)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.
Soputan (Indonesia) Dome glow, lava flows, and concerns about rapid dome growth
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1996. Report on Soputan (Indonesia) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 21:11. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199611-266030
Soputan
Indonesia
1.112°N, 124.737°E; summit elev. 1785 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
On 24 September observers saw glow from the lower part of Soputan's lava dome. Lava flows directed to the S and SW reached ~500 m long by 29 September. Tremor of 2-mm amplitude occurred continually around this time. If rapid dome growth continues, lava avalanches could threaten the Teluk Amurang plantation and village, located 5 and 9 km downslope, respectively.
Geological Summary. The 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 is the only active cone in the Sempu-Soputan volcanic complex, which includes the Soputan caldera, Rindengan, and Manimporok (3.5 km ESE). Kawah Masem maar was formed in the W part of the caldera and contains a crater lake; sulfur has been extracted from fumarolic areas in the maar since 1938. Recent eruptions have originated at 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.
Information Contacts: Wimpy S. Tjetjep, Volcanological Survey of Indonesia, Jalan Diponegoro No. 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia.