TEMPO.CO, Bandung - The Head of the Indonesian Geological Agency at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Muhammad Wafid, stated that the recorded volcanic earthquakes at Mount Banda Api have been showing an increase.
"This increase in seismic activity could indicate a rise in pressure inside Mount Banda Api due to the increased magmatic activity, which could trigger shallow earthquakes, leading to an eruption," he said in his statement on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Wafid mentioned that the historical eruptions of Mount Banda Api typically commenced with noticeable earthquakes. The Geological Agency recorded 66 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 474 deep volcanic earthquakes, 61 local tectonic earthquakes, and 440 distant tectonic earthquakes from March 1, 2025, to May 24, 2025.
Among the hundreds of distant volcanic earthquakes, 5 of them were noticeable earthquakes with a scale of I-III MMI. On May 24, 2025, 99 deep volcanic earthquakes and 3 earthquakes with a scale of I-III MMI were recorded.
'We need to be cautious if noticeable earthquakes occur, considering the historical eruptions of Mount Banda Api began with noticeable earthquakes followed by volcanic earthquakes. Therefore, at present, Mount Banda Api has the potential for an eruption that could happen at any time,' Wafid said.
The activity status of Mount Banda Api is still maintained at Level II or Alert. Wafid stated that residents are advised not to approach within a radius of 1 kilometer from the peak of the mountain. Those around Mount Banda Api and visitors are also instructed not to engage in activities within a 1-kilometer radius from the peak of the mountain to avoid potential threats if there is an eruption such as pyroclastic projections, lava flows or avalanches, hot clouds, and/or toxic gases.
Mount Banda Api has a height of 641 meters above sea level and is located in the Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province. The Geological Agency monitors the mountain from the Mount Banda Api Observation Post in Dwi Warna Village, Banda Neira District, Maluku Province.
Mount Banda Api has recorded 24 eruptions since 1586 to 1988 with eruption intervals ranging from 1-70 years. The eruptions of Mount Banda Api in 1598, 1615, 1690, and 1988 have resulted in casualties, with eruptions that were phreatic to magmatic in nature, commencing with noticeable earthquakes and followed by volcanic earthquakes.
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