Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Mount Lokon is showing signs of decreasing activity with only one eruption from its Tompaluan crater happening on Monday morning since Sunday (Aug 28) when it erupted several times.

"This morning`s eruption occurred at 10.35 local time when volcanic materials were thrown up 250 meters into the sky," said a staffer at the Lokon and Mahawu volcano monitoring post, Jemmy Runtuwene, said in Tomohon on Monday.

Another monitoring post officer, Yudi, said deep volcanic quakes were recorded on Sunday (Aug 28) to have happened 65 times, and shallow quakes 93 times.

Besides, 36 earthquake gusts and tremors with an amplitude of 1-15 millimeters were recorded.

"Yesterday (Sunday) up to 24:00 hours 12 eruptions occurred but today there was only one eruption," he said.

In seismic terms, from 00:00 to 06:00 today, a distant tectonic earthquake, three volcanic earthquakes, and four earthquake gusts were recorded.

"The frequency of tremors slightly decreased compared to Sunday. Their amplitude was between 0.5 millimeters and 3 millimeters," he said.

A thick column of white smoke was observed rising from the crater to a height of 50 meters to 150 meters.

"The mountain`s status is still the same, it has not been raised to the alert level," he said.

Mount Lokon last erupted on July 14 and 17, 2011 forcing thousands of residents of Kinilow Village I, Kinilow and Kakaskasen I, in North Tomohon district to flee their homes.

On July 10, 2011, the alert level III status was raised to alert level IV, and lowered back to level II after the eruption on July 24, 2011.
(Uu.A050/HAJM/H-YH)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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