"We recorded three small eruptions. The volcano only sent out ash to a height of 200-250 meters," the head of Mount Lokon`s monitoring post, Farid Ruskanda Bina, said in Tomohon, on Wednesday.
He said seismic records showed several tremors, including three shallow tremors.
"Admittedly, Mount Lokon has been showing signs of increased activity over the past few days," he said.
He made it clear that one of the indicators of increased activity was continuous tremors. The tremors had an amplitude of 2-10 millimeters.
"On Tuesday (Aug 23) the seismic records show tremors at an amplitude of up to 18 millimeters. For the time being the tremor movement is fluctuating and is still recorded," he said.
"We hope that local residents will always be on the alert, the more so because the volcano is still likely to erupt. But we don`t know when the eruption will occur," he said.
By 05.00 p.m. on Wednesday the Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) had neither raised the volcano`s alert status to level IV nor lowered it to level II, he said.
"The volcano is still put under alert level III. Residents should stay away from a radius of 2.5 km from Mount Lokon," he said.
The volcano released its powerful eruption on July 17, causing villagers living near the volcano to flee to safer places.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
