30/03/2026
Lewotobi Laki-laki, Flores: Update, 29 March 2026
The 24-hour bulletin for 29 March records continuing activity at Lewotobi Laki-laki, with the lava field extending further from the vent than previous measurements have shown.
Lava deposits are now documented at approximately 3,800 metres to the west-northwest and 4,340 metres to the northeast of the eruption centre. The northeastern arm is the longer of the two and represents the current reach of the effusive output from this eruption. White crater emissions were observed at between 50 and 100 metres above the summit, thin to moderate in intensity under weak pressure.
The seismic record for the day included eight non-harmonic tremor events with amplitudes between 2.9 and 7.4 millimetres and durations of 82 to 98 seconds, two low-frequency events, and five deep volcanic earthquakes with S-P intervals of 1.1 to 1.6 seconds. One local tectonic and eight distant tectonic events completed the picture. The non-harmonic tremor signal in particular reflects fluid movement within the volcanic conduit and is consistent with the ongoing effusive activity feeding the lava field.
I wrote about Lewotobi Laki-laki earlier this month following the 19 March ash eruption that sent a column to 1,000 metres above the summit. The November 2024 eruption that killed at least nine people remains the reference point for how quickly this volcano can escalate. The current activity is at a lower intensity than that event, but the lava field is growing and the monitoring data shows a system that has not settled.
Alert Level II, Waspada, remains in effect. The four-kilometre exclusion zone from the Laki-laki crater centre continues. PVMBG monitoring is ongoing.
Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG), MAGMA Indonesia, Badan Geologi.
