Images reveal the instant that one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes explodes
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, erupted for the second day in a row on August 2, sending a column of smoke and volcanic material up to 11 miles into the sky. This eruption, one of the country's largest since the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi, the country's most volatile volcano, follows a series of explosive events that began in late 2023.
The ongoing eruptive activity has led authorities to raise the volcano's alert status to the highest level. The exclusion zone around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has been doubled to a 4.3-mile radius due to more frequent eruptions.
On July 7, 2025, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, sending an ash plume up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) high and generating pyroclastic flows that traveled 5 kilometers (3 miles) down its slopes. This eruption was preceded by a sharp increase in volcanic earthquakes and ground inflation weeks prior.
The August 1 eruption lit up the sky with glowing lava and bolts of lightning. An avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveled up to 3 miles down the slopes of the volcano. Drone observations showed deep magma movement during the August 1 eruption, triggering tremors that registered on seismic monitors.
Despite the persistent activity, no casualties have been reported from the August 2 eruption. However, the agency has asked residents to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
Indonesia, home to 280 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. The country sits along the "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The explosion of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki comes less than a month after a major eruption on July 7 in Bali forced the delay and cancellation of flights.
References:
[1] "Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupts, ash cloud reaches 18,000 feet." Reuters, 2025. [2] "Deadly debris flows follow November 2024 eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki." BBC News, 2024. [3] "Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts again, ash plume reaches 11 miles." CNN, 2025. [4] "Volcanic ash blankets nearby villages after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruption." Al Jazeera, 2025.
- Breaking news: Amidst the ongoing eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a new concern has arisen as environmental-science experts warn that volcanic ash could potentially impact livestock health-and-wellness due to toxic substances it contains.
- Science has been continuously monitoring the unrelenting activity of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, with medical-conditions specialists examining the effects of volcanic ash on human respiratory systems to develop protective measures.
- Despite the continuous eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, the space-and-astronomy community remains optimistic, as scientists are eager to analyze volcanic gases and monitor magma movements for better understanding of Earth's internal processes and the potential impacts on our planet's climate and environmental-science.
