Ile Lewotolok Logged 1,873 Eruption Earthquakes in Five Days

Labuan Bajo — Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara, recorded 1,873 eruption earthquakes

The figure refers to seismic events associated with eruptions, not to 1,873 visually identical ash plumes or equally powerful explosions.

According to volcano observer Stanislaus Arakian, the eruptions during that period produced ash columns ranging from about 200 to 700 meters above the summit, with ash colors observed from white to gray and black.

What the number records

The five-day tally combines visual observations with data from monitoring instruments at the Ile Lewotolok observation post.

Local media citing the observer’s report state that the volcano recorded 1,873 eruption earthquakes between 1 and 5 September 2026, along with other types of seismic activity detected on the monitoring equipment.

Those additional signals included avalanche earthquakes, gust-type events, harmonic and non-harmonic tremors, hybrid or multiphase earthquakes, shallow volcanic earthquakes, deep volcanic earthquakes and distant tectonic earthquakes, recorded over the same period.

These categories describe different seismic signatures, each of which can reflect a distinct process inside or around the volcano.

The report does not state that each eruption earthquake produced a separate, clearly visible ash column, nor does it quantify the energy or volume of material released by each event.

Observers and media reports therefore treat the eruption count as an indicator of intense ongoing activity, rather than a direct measure of hazard on its own.

Activity after 5 September

Eruptions at Ile Lewotolok continued after the five-day observation window.

On Sunday, 6 September 2026, media reports citing the observation post noted eruptions in the morning and evening.

One eruption around 06:41 WITA was reported to produce an ash column of roughly 600 meters above the summit.

Another eruption later that day produced a gray ash column of less than 500 meters above the summit, leaning toward the south and west.

For at least one of these eruptions, seismogram readings showed a maximum amplitude of about 40 millimeters and a duration on the order of several tens of seconds.

Observers noted that video taken by a guide close to the crater could make the ash column appear higher than in instrument-based estimates.

Monitoring status and exclusion zones

The high number of eruption-related signals accompanied an elevated monitoring status for Ile Lewotolok.

Reports citing the volcano observation post and the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) indicate that, in early September 2026, the volcano’s alert level was set at Level II (Waspada)

Under that status, residents, visitors and climbers were advised not to enter areas within a radius of about two kilometers from the crater.

In the southern and southeastern sectors, authorities expanded the restricted zone to around three kilometers due to the direction of recent activity.

Local media coverage emphasized that this exclusion zone applied to all people, including tourists and trekkers, and was based on recommendations from PVMBG.

Reports of avalanches extending several hundred meters from the summit, especially toward the southeast, were treated as part of ongoing risk monitoring for settlements, roads and other infrastructure near the volcano, although no major impacts were cited in early September coverage.

Sources

• HT Syndication (original Antara English wire)
• RSOE EDIS – Mount Ile Lewotolok Records 1,873 Earthquakes in Five Days
• Pikiran Rakyat – Pagi Ini Dua Erupsi, Ile Lewotolok Semburkan Abu 600 Meter
• Pos Kupang – Aktivitas Vulkanik Gunung Ili Lewotolok Meningkat, Warga Diimbau Jauhi Radius 2 Km
• Metro TV News – Update Erupsi Gunung Ile Lewotolok di NTT: 397 Letusan Sehari
• Detik – Gunung Ile Lewotolok Meletus 378 Kali Seharian, Lava Baru Mengalir 500 Meter
• Indonesian Updates