Are Indonesia’s Four Volcanic Eruptions Connected? An Expert Responds

Four Indonesian volcanoes have drawn attention after erupting or showing heightened activity within a short period. Mount Ibu in North Maluku, Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara and Mount Semeru in East Java were recorded erupting by September 8, while Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait also remained active.

Anak Krakatau’s alert status rose in early July after continuous eruptions from September 4 to 6. Its activity continued on Tuesday, when seismic records logged eruptions at 5:08 a.m., 5:34 a.m. and 7:49 a.m. local time. Large ash plumes drifted across western Java and parts of Sumatra, and the Geological Agency said the activity was still ongoing.

The clustering of eruptions prompted illustrations on social media showing the volcanoes as connected by underground magma chambers. Daryono, a member of the Indonesian Association of Disaster Experts, rejected that explanation. He said concurrent eruptions are a natural feature of tectonic dynamics in the Ring of Fire and generally reflect spatial and temporal coincidence.

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Indonesia is located in an active subduction system with dozens of active volcanoes that are on alert or vigilant status

Indonesia lies in a complex convergence zone where the Indo-Australian, Pacific and Philippine plates subduct beneath the Eurasian Plate. Daryono said the four volcanic systems do not share a mechanism such as an underground magma channel network.

He also dismissed claims that the eruptions resulted from technological manipulation or weapons. The energy comes from Earth’s mantle, tens to hundreds of kilometres below the surface, where magma pressure can reach hundreds of megapascals. Daryono said no electromagnetic technology or human-made explosion can penetrate the crust and intentionally alter the pressure of those silicate fluids. He described the claim that the eruptions were artificially triggered as entirely illogical from an earth-science perspective.

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which is impossible to be simulated, generated, or controlled by any human-made technology