Thermal hotspots and minor ash plumes were reported through September and early October 2008 (BGVN 33:08). Dukono continued to emit minor ash plumes from early October 2008 through 9 January 2009, although MODVOLC thermal alerts have been absent since 26 May 2008. Five instances of ash plumes were noted from 11 October 2008 to 9 January 2009, as recorded by the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (table 9). None of the plumes rose above 3 km altitude.

Table 9. Ash plumes reported from Dukono between 11 October 2008 and 9 January 2009 (UTC). Data from the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.

Geological Summary. Reports from this remote volcano in northernmost Halmahera are rare, but Dukono has been one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. More-or-less continuous explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have occurred since 1933. During a major eruption in 1550 CE, a lava flow filled in the strait between Halmahera and the N-flank Gunung Mamuya cone. This complex volcano presents a broad, low profile with multiple summit peaks and overlapping craters. Malupang Wariang, 1 km SW of the summit crater complex, contains a 700 x 570 m crater that has also been active during historical time.

Information Contacts: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory Regional Office, PO Box 40050, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia (URL: http://www.bom.gov.au/info/vaac/); Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM), Jalan Diponegoro 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://vsi.esdm.go.id/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).