August 8, 2025 | 09:17 pm
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), erupted again on the evening of Friday, August 8, 2025. The eruption, recorded at 17:52 Central Indonesian Time (WITA), generated a column of volcanic ash that rose 700 meters above the crater’s peak.
Herman Yosef, an official at the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki observation post, stated that a thick column of grayish ash was ejected toward the southwest and west. "The eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 4.4 millimeters (mm) and lasted for approximately 58 seconds," Herman said shortly after the event.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which stands at 1,548 meters above sea level (masl), remains at Alert status, or Level IV, the highest alert status.
The monitoring team urges local residents to remain calm and adhere to the instructions issued by the local government. Given the Alert status, residents and visitors are advised to stay outside of a 6-kilometer radius from the eruption center, and to extend that exclusion zone to 7 kilometers in the southwestern to northeastern sectors.
Herman also reminded the residents of East Flores about the risk of lava floods in rivers originating from the peak of Mount Lewotobi, particularly following heavy rainfall. The areas most susceptible to lahar floods include Dulipali, Padang Pasir, Nobo, Nurabelen, Klatanlo, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, and Nawakote.
The Geological Agency had previously announced a decrease in volcanic activity at Mount Lewotobi after a massive eruption in the first two days of the month. "However, it is still at a slow intensity," said Muhammad Wafid, Head of the Geological Agency, on August 3.
Although volcanic activity had recently subsided, deformation monitoring using a tiltmeter indicated fluctuations over the last two days. Wafid explained that these fluctuations suggest the mountain is still experiencing inflation, or swelling, caused by rising magma pressure near the surface. The monitoring team remains vigilant despite the temporary decrease in magma pressure.
Furthermore, data from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) shows small-scale inflation. Wafid continued, stating that this indicates some internal material has been discharged. "The internal pressure affecting the mountain's surface morphology is still not completely stable; therefore, the activity of Mount Lewotobi is still considered high," he said.
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency noted that the volcanic trend of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki is currently dominated by surface activities. These include an increase in rockfall earthquakes due to unstable materials on the slopes, and a rising number of gas explosion earthquakes, which suggests that the conduit, or magma channel, leading to the crater surface is unobstructed.
"This means that the gas is not trapped and can exit smoothly, as indicated by the presence of thick smoke with moderate to strong pressure," Wafid explained.
Referring to seismic data from August 2-3, 2025, there was one eruption earthquake at Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki. Other seismic events included seven rockfall earthquakes, 22 gas explosion earthquakes, two harmonic tremor earthquakes, 19 non-harmonic tremor earthquakes, 12 low-frequency earthquakes, and 77 volcanic earthquakes. The remaining data included five local tectonic earthquakes, one distant tectonic earthquake, and a continuous tremor earthquake.
"The volcanic ash eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki could disrupt flights if its distribution is directed towards airport areas and aircraft flight paths," Wafid concluded.
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