According to a news report the coordinator for the Banda Api observation post stated that the climbing route on the volcano was closed on 18 November due to increased seismicity. The coordinator noted that during 1 August-17 November there were 11 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 541 deep volcanic earthquakes, and 46 local and 250 distant tectonic earthquakes, respectively; three of the events were felt. The average number of earthquakes per day was between 13 and 30 events, though the average was as high as 40 per day. Though the volcano was sometimes obscured by weather conditions, diffuse white plumes were observed rising 20-30 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (the second lowest level on a four-level scale) and the public was advised to stay 1 km away from the summit.

Geological Summary. The 3-km-wide island of Banda Api is the northern-most volcano in the Banda arc and has a long period of recorded observation because of its key location in the Portuguese and Dutch spice trade. The basaltic-to-rhyodacitic volcano is located in the SW corner of a mostly submerged 7 km caldera. At least two episodes of caldera formation are thought to have occurred, with the arcuate islands of Lonthor and Neira considered to be pre-caldera remnants. A conical peak rises to about 600 m at the center of the island. Eruptions have been recorded since 1586 CE, mostly consisting of Strombolian eruptions from the summit crater, but larger explosive eruptions have occurred and occasional lava flows have reached the coast.

Sources: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM), Antara News