PVMBG reported that an eruption at Lewotobi’s Laki-laki, the NW of two large adjacent stratovolcanoes, occurred at 0714 on 23 December and lasted about 24 minutes. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange (the third level on a four-color scale). Dense gray ash plumes rose 1-1.5 km above the summit and drifted N. The eruption was preceded by about a week of increased seismicity. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4) and the public was warned to stay 2 km away from the active summit crater.

Geological Summary. The Lewotobi edifice in eastern Flores Island is composed of the two adjacent Lewotobi Laki-laki and Lewotobi Perempuan stratovolcanoes (the "husband and wife"). Their summits are less than 2 km apart along a NW-SE line. The conical Laki-laki to the NW has been frequently active during the 19th and 20th centuries, while the taller and broader Perempuan has had observed eruptions in 1921 and 1935. Small lava domes have grown during the 20th century in both of the summit craters, which are open to the north. A prominent cone, Iliwokar, occurs on the E flank of Perampuan.

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