Skip to main content
← Back to map
⇄ Compare

Makian

Kie Besi

Stratovolcano · Indonesia · 1357m

Makian volcano forms a 10-km-wide island near the southern end of a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast of Halmahera. The northern of two prominent valleys that extend from the summit is prominent in this photo. The large 1.5-km-wide summit crater containing a small lake on the NE side gives the 1357-m-high peak a flat-topped profile. Violent eruptions from Makian volcano, also known as Kie Besi, have devastated villages on the island.
Makian volcano forms a 10-km-wide island near the southern end of a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast of Halmahera. The northern of two prominent valleys that extend from the summit is prominent in this photo. The large 1.5-km-wide summit crater containing a small lake on the NE side gives the 1357-m-high peak a flat-topped profile. Violent eruptions from Makian volcano, also known as Kie Besi, have devastated villages on the island. · Photo: Photo by Sumaryono (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Indonesia
Region
Western Pacific / Halmahera Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1357m
Coordinates
0.320, 127.400
Last eruption
1988
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

Kie Besi volcano, forming the 10-km-wide Makian island off the west coast of Halmahera, has been the source of infrequent, but strong eruptions that have devastated villages on the island. The large 1.5-km-wide summit crater, containing a small lake on the NE side, gives the peak a flat-topped profile. Two prominent valleys extend to the coast from the summit crater on the north and east sides. Four cones are found on the western flanks. Eruption have been recorded since about 1550; major eruptions in 1646, 1760-61, 1861-62, 1890, and 1988 caused extensive damage and many fatalities.

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1550~1594 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 31638~1681 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 41725~1769 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 41813~1857 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 11857~1900 · 5 eruptions · max VEI 41944~1988 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 315501638176918571944

Detailed timeline

  1. 1988VEI 3Observed
    1988-07-29 – 1988-08-05
  2. 1890VEI 2Observed
    1890-06-20 – 1890-06-30
  3. 1864VEI 1Observed
    1864-10-16 – 1864-10-16
  4. 1863VEI 1Observed
    1863-08-25 – 1863-08-31
  5. 1861VEI 4Observed
    1861-12-28 – 1862-10-16
  6. 1860VEI 1Geological estimate
    1860-07-02 – Ongoing
  7. 1854VEI 1Geological estimate
    1854-06-18 – 1854-06-18
  8. 1760VEI 4Observed
    1760-09-22 – 1761-04-30
  9. 1660VEI ?Geological estimate
    1660 – Ongoing
  10. 1646VEI 4Observed
    1646-07-19 – 1646-07-21
  11. 1550VEI 3Observed
    1550 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.