CVGHM raised the Alert Level of Gamalama on 24 August from 1 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4) due to an increase in activity. Prior to 10 August, diffuse white plumes rose to an altitude of 1.8 km (5,900 ft) a.s.l. then increased in altitude to 2 km (6,600 ft) a.s.l. during 10-23 August. On 23 August, white and gray plumes rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (6,900 ft) a.s.l. Concurrent with the increased Alert Level, government officials banned access within a 2-km radius of the active crater.

Geological Summary. Gamalama is a near-conical stratovolcano that comprises the entire island of Ternate off the western coast of Halmahera, and is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. The island was a major regional center in the Portuguese and Dutch spice trade for several centuries, which contributed to the extensive documentation of activity. Three cones, progressively younger to the north, form the summit. Several maars and vents define a rift zone, parallel to the Halmahera island arc, that cuts the volcano; the S-flank Ngade maar formed after about 14,500–13,000 cal. BP (Faral et al., 2022). Eruptions, recorded frequently since the 16th century, typically originated from the summit craters, although flank eruptions have occurred in 1763, 1770, 1775, and 1962-63.

Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)