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Mount Sinabung

Sinabung

Stratovolcano · Indonesia · 2460m

The Sinabung volcano, seen here from the E, rises above farmlands on the Karo Plateau. At the time of this photo Sinabung contained four summit craters, the southernmost of which was the youngest. Many prominent lava flows can be seen on the flanks of the volcano.
The Sinabung volcano, seen here from the E, rises above farmlands on the Karo Plateau. At the time of this photo Sinabung contained four summit craters, the southernmost of which was the youngest. Many prominent lava flows can be seen on the flanks of the volcano. · Photo: Photo by Tom Casadevall, 1987 (U.S. Geological Survey). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Indonesia
Region
Sunda-Banda Volcanic Regions / Sunda Volcanic Arc
Elevation
2460m
Coordinates
3.170, 98.392
Last eruption
2021
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

Gunung Sinabung is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano with many lava flows on its flanks. The migration of summit vents along a N-S line gives the summit crater complex an elongated form. The youngest crater of this conical andesitic-to-dacitic edifice is at the southern end of the four overlapping summit craters. The youngest deposit is a SE-flank pyroclastic flow 14C dated by Hendrasto et al. (2012) at 740-880 CE. An unconfirmed eruption was noted in 1881, and solfataric activity was seen at the summit and upper flanks in 1912. No confirmed historical eruptions were recorded prior to explosive eruptions during August-September 2010 that produced ash plumes to 5 km above the summit.

From Wikipedia

Mount Sinabung is an active stratovolcano consisting of andesite and dacite in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Lake Toba. Many old lava flows are on its flanks and the last known eruption, before recent times, occurred 1200 years before present, between 740 - 880 CE. Solfataric activities were last observed at the summit in 1912; recent documented events include an eruption in the early hours of 29 August 2010 and eruptions in September and November 2013, January, February and October 2014. The volcano has recently claimed the life of at least 23 people in a number of events since 2014. Between 2013 and 2014, the alert for a major event was increased with no significant activity. On 2 June 2015, the alert was again increased, and on 26 June 2015, at least 10,000 people were evacuated, fearing a major eruption. The long eruption of Mount Sinabung is similar to that of Mount Unzen in Japan, which erupted for five years after lying dormant for 400 years. A major eruption began on 10 August 2020.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
810~931 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1778~1899 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1899~2020 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 48101052141516571899

Detailed timeline

  1. 2020VEI 3Observed
    2020-08-08 – 2021-09-23
  2. 2019VEI 4Observed
    2019-05-07 – 2019-06-09
    Summit crater
  3. 2013VEI 4Observed
    2013-09-15 – 2018-06-22
    Summit crater and SE flank
  4. 2010VEI 3Observed
    2010-08-27 – 2010-09-17
    Summit crater
  5. 1881VEI ?Geological estimate
    1881 – Ongoing
  6. 810 (±70 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    810 – Ongoing
    SE flank

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.