PVMBG reported that the eruption at Ibu continued during 11-17 May. Daily gray-and-white ash plumes of variable densities generally rose 200-800 m above the summit and drifted mainly W and N. Eruptive events at 0903 and 1807 on 14 May and at 1759 on 15 May produced ash plumes that rose 0.8-1 km above the summit and drifted W and SW. At 1646 on 16 May dense gray ash plumes rose around 2.5 km and drifted W. The Alert Level remained at a 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater and 3.5 km away on the N side.

Geological Summary. The truncated summit of Gunung Ibu stratovolcano along the NW coast of Halmahera Island has large nested summit craters. The inner crater, 1 km wide and 400 m deep, has contained several small crater lakes. The 1.2-km-wide outer crater is breached on the N, creating a steep-walled valley. A large cone grew ENE of the summit, and a smaller one to the WSW has fed a lava flow down the W flank. A group of maars is located below the N and W flanks. The first observed and recorded eruption was a small explosion from the summit crater in 1911. Eruptive activity began again in December 1998, producing a lava dome that eventually covered much of the floor of the inner summit crater along with ongoing explosive ash emissions.

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